On the Road to Glory
by Sir Perfluous
Summary: The Galar League's tournament season has officially begun even while dark plots and ancient mysteries swirl. After a chance encounter and some good fortune, a young trainer named Victor sets off with his friends to seek glory along with all the dangers and adventures that come with it.
1. Hometown Heroes

_**Disclaimer: It probably goes without saying but I do not own Pokémon. Nintendo does.**_

_**With the recent release of Sword and Shield, I decided to venture into new territory here with this side project. Hopefully you enjoy my unique take on the Galar journey.**_

* * *

An excited roar filled the stadium as the colossal charizard breathed a plume of searing fire into the air. Hundreds of eyes were now fixed on the spectacle before them as the Galar' League's reigning champion Leon Powers began his exhibition battle with his challenger. Amid the din of the match that started the tournament season, two figures departed the main pitch and headed away down the main access tunnel. Chairman Rose walked with a calm pace and glanced idly at the lights which lined his way. The smartly dressed middle aged man brushed some grass off his expensive gray suit and spoke idly to his secretary beside him.

"No power flickers… and the dynamaxing went off without a problem. That's a positive start Oleana."

"Yes sir," the elegant woman nodded with a cool, almost disinterested tone. She smoothed out the long white dress coat that she wore over her blood red blouse, "It seems the safeguards you put into the stadium's power grid was a wise decision after all."

Rose snorted quietly to himself, "Maybe so, but it's only a temporary measure. The Galar region's energy crisis will only get worse and it's only a matter of time before it becomes disruptive, both for the cities and for the operation of the league."

Oleana glanced over at her employer and noted the subtle frown that crossed his face. The Chairman of the Galar Pokémon League was well aware of the growing shortage of dynamax energy which came from the hotspots over which the cities were built. Not only would it affect the people of the region in time, but it threatened the future operation of the Pokémon League and most importantly, his profit margins. Rose seemed to sense her thoughts and asked aloud, "What is the progress of my special side project?"

"Your power generator is nearing completion sir," Oleana reported, "But… are you really sure about the 'human' element of your plan?"

Rose glanced over and gave a calm smile to his secretary as they reached the end of the tunnel and approached a young man waiting for them in the lobby. "I have faith Bede will do his part, Oleana. After all, he has been my ward, and I've endorsed him personally. You aren't questioning my judgment, are you?"

Oleana paused and looked slightly alarmed as she began to apologize, "I… no Chairman! Of course not! I didn't mean to imply…"

Chairman Rose smiled and gently raised his hand to silence her before turning to the young man in the lobby. This trainer named Bede waited with a cool arrogance and smugness about him. The young man with curly fair hair and a long purplish coat fixed his adopted father with his beady eyes, "You called?"

"I wanted to make sure you were ready to head off," Rose answered, "There's a lot of work to be done. There's even more riding on the completion of your task. I want to know you'll be up to it."

Bede gave a prideful scoff and swept a hand through his fair locks of hair, "Don't worry Dad. I'll get you those Wishing Stars. I'll search every inch of the region to get them if I have to."

"Let's hope it doesn't come to that," Rose nodded in satisfaction, "Best you be off now. Good luck."

Bede gave a flippant wave and strode off from the lobby to exit the stadium leaving the two adults to watch him depart. Oleana glanced over quietly and asked, "He doesn't actually know what the stars are for… does he?"

"The less the boy knows right now the better," Rose answered as he headed back toward his office, "Come along Oleana. We have plenty of work that needs to be done here too."

* * *

A few days later, bright sunlight streamed in through the windows as Victor Bennett sat on the living room couch pulling up a video on his new smart phone. He gave a content sigh and relaxed as he loaded the video until he was interrupted by the excited sounds of someone knocking at the front door of his home. Victor hopped off the cushion and walked over to the front door of the house calling to his mother in the kitchen. "I've got it, Mum!"

He opened the door and blinked in surprise as he was greeted by a girl his age who also happened to be his next door neighbor. The fifteen year old girl was dressed in her usual pink dress with a gray cardigan sweater over it. Atop her brown shoulder length hair she had donned her trademark green Highland beret with a white pompom. "Gloria? Hi. What's going on?"

Gloria McLeod flashed a bright eager smile to her childhood friend and proudly thrust a small booklet in his face with an ID and official documentation. She grabbed the collar of his red shirt and the faint brogue accent in her voice was clearly filled with excitement, "Victor, today's the day! It finally came! Have you got your own yet? Have you checked the mail?"

"Hey… slow down Gloria," he replied pulling her off, "Has what come?"

She stared at him and pointed to his mailbox, "You're kidding, right? Our pokémon trainer licenses! The applications went through!"

Victor blinked again and rushed over to his mailbox, sorting through the letters until he found what he was looking for. Sure enough, he found a small booklet and ID with his own trainer's license. He couldn't help but break out into a bright smile, "Yes! This is going to be awesome!"

"Victor? Is everything okay?" came his mother's voice as she came to the door. The bespectacled woman had warm kindly features and dark brown hair like her son's. She wiped her hands off on her gardening coveralls and stopped to give their visitor a warm smile, "Gloria? I didn't expect to see you today, dear. Is everything all right?"

"Everything is great Mrs. Bennett! Victor and I just got our trainer licenses today!" Gloria answered brightly.

"That's terrific news, kids! Congratulations!" Mrs. Bennett beamed, "It's the perfect time, what with the region's tournament season starting up and all."

"I'm guessing you've been doing some homework?" Gloria noted as she pointed to Victor's other hand where he held his phone. On the screen was a loaded video with an image of a charizard on it.

Victor sheepishly rubbed his neck and shrugged, "Ah… well, kinda. I wanted to watch Leon's exhibition match and study his strategies."

"I guess I shouldn't be surprised," Gloria teased him gently, "You're always thinking ahead, even since we were little kids. Maybe now you can figure out what to do about our new problem."

"Oh? What's that?"

Gloria sighed, "What good are our licenses without pokémon of our own?"

Their thoughts were interrupted as they heard a crash and looked across the yard to see a wooloo making a ruckus nearby. The fluffy sheep pokémon were a common sight in these pastoral areas and despite their gentle natures, sometimes they could be a bit of a nuisance as well. If anyone in Postwick knew that better, it was Gloria's family as her parents raised wooloo for a living in the nearby farm fields. This particular offender was one that Gloria knew intimately. It just so happened to be the McLeod family pet. Victor winced as the wooloo curled itself into a ball and ran into a wooden gate nearby with a rolling tackle.

"Bonnie! Hey! Cut that out!" Gloria called loudly as she hurried over to rein in her errant pet. The wooloo named Bonnie stopped and blinked in surprise as Gloria wrangled her and gave a calming scratch behind her fluffy ears. Gloria spoke softly and gave her a gentle scolding, "What do think you're doing you silly girl? Don't be tackling the fencing! You know you shouldn't wander off into those woods at the edge of town. Who knows what kind of scary wolves and ghosts are out there in the Slumbering Weald, eh?"

As Bonnie contently nuzzled her owner and calmed down, Victor glanced across the street and caught sight of another neighbor running down the road toward the Bennett house. Victor's classmate Howard "Hop" Powers was known by everyone in town as the younger brother of the famed Galar League Champion. It was no secret that Hop's older brother was a hero to every aspiring trainer in the little town of Postwick. For many people in the sleepy rural villages of southern Galar, Leon was a shining symbol of their pride and a source of excitement whenever he competed in a match. It was no secret either that Hop wanted to be just like Leon and follow in his footsteps. He had gotten his own license a week early and waited eagerly for the tournament season to begin.

The excitable dark skinned boy dressed in his favorite jean jacket stopped at the gate and gave an enthusiastic wave, "Victor! Gloria! There you are! Come with me!"

"What's going on, Hop?" Victor asked as he walked down the front steps of his house.

"Haven't you heard? Today's the big day!" Hop answered impatiently, "Lee is coming home! Let's get a move on and greet him!"

Gloria came over and joined Victor at the gate, "What's the rush, Hop? The Wedgehurst train station isn't very far from here."

"Aw, you two know the way Lee is. He's terrible with directions and always getting lost," Hop protested, "Besides, he always brings presents when he comes. I wanna see what he brought! Maybe if you're lucky he'll have something for you guys too."

Victor exchanged a look with Gloria and shrugged before he turned to his own mother, "I guess that's that. We're going to the station, Mum."

She caught her son by the scruff of the collar, "Not so fast, dear. If you're headed out, why don't you take your father's old backpack with you? And a hat, just in case of weather."

Victor grumbled and hurried back into the house to fetch a large bag and a gray wool beanie hat from his room. As he made his way back to the front gate, Mrs. Bennett quickly inspected her son causing him to whine, "Geez Mum, is this really necessary? It's not that cold out, and this bag is kind of clunky too."

"Nonsense luv," Mrs. Bennett said straightening his red shirt collar with an affectionate touch, "Just like your father says, always better to be prepared, right?"

"The hat looks fine too luv," Gloria teased as she gave a playful wink and ruffled some of Victor's hair sticking out from the front of his cap.

Hop bounced on his heels with an impatient look, "Are you guys ready to get going? Come on, I'll race you to Wedgehurst!"

Before Victor could answer, Hop took off running down the lane past several other villagers and free range wooloo that were grazing about the town.

"Oi! Wait for me!" Gloria shouted as she hurried after him with Victor scrambling to catch up to his two neighbors. Mrs. Bennett crossed her arms and smiled as she shook her head. With the arrival of Leon and pokémon tournament fever setting in, she could only wonder what kinds of trouble the kids were sure to get into.

* * *

About half a mile up the road, Victor and his friends crossed a small bridge which led into the neighboring borough of Wedgehurst. Much like the other older towns in this quiet pastoral region of Galar, Wedgehurst had a quaint homey feel with its cobblestone streets, its brick storefronts, and the cozy cottages lining the roads. Even from a distance, those approaching the town could see the distinct form of the town's clock tower jutting out from the top of the train station's main building. Although the town was never particularly busy on any given day, a surprisingly large crowd of locals had all begun to congregate near the train station. When they arrived, Victor stopped and raised his hand to shield his eyes from the glare of the bright morning sun so that he could get a better look. "Hmm... not every day you see the town like this, right?"

"Well it's not every day that we have celebrities and champions coming through here either," Hop replied as he tried to push through some of the onlookers, "Okay make way, make way, famous person family coming through!"

As the three began to push forward, they stopped when they heard an excited stir from the crowd as a figure emerged from the doors of the station. Hop poked his head over a man standing in front of him and caught sight of his brother making his grand entrance. Leon strode forward to greet the onlookers wearing a custom designed Pokemon League uniform tailored to fit his flamboyant style. The tall champion had a powerful athletic build with his stylized hair flared out to give a regal look. Around his shoulders, he wore a long fur-lined cape plastered with the logos of big businesses who sponsored the Galar Pokémon League. As Leon approached, his loyal charizard followed close behind looking less like a pet and more like a royal bodyguard. Leon grinned as he met the cheering crowd and stopped to strike his trademark victory pose causing girls to swoon while the rest of the crowd cheered even louder.

"Hello, hello, Wedgehurst! Your champion Leon is back! I promise I'll keep doing my best to deliver the greatest battles for you all to watch!"

People from the crowd began calling out to him, "Hooray for our undefeated champion! You and Charizard are the greatest!"

Leon winked, "Thank you for that! It's true that Charizard is blazingly strong. But other pokémon can be strong as well. That's why I want the strongest of challengers to take the Gym Challenge and come battle me. My wish is for Galar's trainers to work together to become the strongest in all the world!"

Charizard gave a loud roar of agreement before Leon gave another nod, "I hope you'll all carry on training up your pokémon and never shy from battle. Then you can come and challenge me for the champion title!"

Leon stopped as he heard a familiar voice call out from nearby, "Lee! Over here!"

Leon smiled and strode forward into the crowd to greet his younger brother with a big hug and a ruffle of his hair, "Hop! So my number one fan in all the world has come to pick me up! Look at you! You must have grown a few inches since I saw you last!"

"Heh... that's the kind of sharp eye that's kept you undefeated for so long, right Lee?" Hop laughed as he escaped Leon's affectionate headlock.

Leon stopped and glanced over to see Hop's two companions waiting with equal looks of awe. The champion flashed his brilliant smile, "Ah... I remember you two. From across the street... Victor and Gloria, right? Hop talks about you two all the time!"

"Nice to see you again Leon," Victor said shaking the champ's hand. "Welcome home."

Gloria did the same but remained unusually quiet at having been a little starstruck. Hop gave his brother a light elbow in the side, "Come on Lee! Let's head home. I'll race you, okay?"

The eager boy took off running back down the road towards Postwick leaving Leon to shake his head and chuckle, "That Hop... always wanting to be the best. With a proper rival of his own, I bet he'd push himself to become something truly special."

He turned to Victor with a thoughtful expression, "Wouldn't you agree?"

Victor paused, unsure of how to answer but Leon turned back to the crowd to strike his pose and bid them all farewell. "Well everyone, I'm afraid that's all for today. I'll be around for a few days more so I hope to see you all around town!"

As the crowd dispersed, Leon recalled his charizard and turned toward Victor and Gloria, "Well... now that that's all settled, let's head on home. Sound good?"

"Sounds like a plan," Gloria agreed but stopped when she noticed that Leon had yet to move from his spot.

Victor eyed the Champion of Galar for a long moment before crossing his arms with a smile, "You don't remember the way, do you?"

Leon rubbed the back of his neck with a sheepish smile, "Guilty as charged. It's been a while... but I guess that's no excuse, huh? Lead on."

* * *

Late that afternoon after having returned to Postwick, Hop invited Victor and Gloria over to his house to hang out with Leon in their backyard. After Leon had become the league champion a few years ago, the once small and modest home of the Powers family had grown in size with the addition of another floor of rooms along with a small pokémon training arena in the spacious grassy yard. Despite having become very wealthy from his fame and his product endorsements, Leon had never forgotten his small town roots and made sure that his family was comfortable and well provided for. As they stood around having some afternoon tea, Hop looked to his older brother and tried to sound indifferent, "So Lee...I was wondering if on your travels, you've picked up any interesting things to bring home and show us."

Leon chuckled as he immediately saw right through the smokescreen, "You're wondering if I brought you any gifts, right?"

"Well... that too," Hop backpedaled causing Leon to laugh harder.

"Don't worry little brother. I brought something very special," Leon smiled, "I heard that you and your friends have gotten your trainer licenses recently. I decided to give you a little something to get you started... the greatest gift from the greatest champion."

He pulled three pokéballs from his pocket and tossed them to the blacktop arena, opening them all at once. "Come on out everyone!"

Victor, Gloria, and Hop all stood watching with a mixture of awe and delight as three small pokémon emerged from the balls in bright plumes of light. The first to greet the new trainers was a grookey. The small monkey pokémon with bright green fur carried a small stick in his hand and gave a playful smile before clambering up a nearby tree to poke at objects with it. Moments later, a small white rabbit with red markings on his feet and ears bounded forward. The scorbunny happily bounced around and darted about the yard running rings on the blacktop leaving small plumes of flame and embers in its wake. The last to emerge was a sobble, a little blue lizard pokémon with large round eyes and a curled tail. While its two fellow pokémon bounded around the yard, they blew past the timid sobble causing it to cry and whimper until it spotted a small pond of water in the yard and jumped in for a swim.

The three young trainers continued to watch as the little pokémon played around until Leon called them all to attention, "All right everyone. Line up. Today you're going to meet some new friends who will be taking care of you from now on."

Grookey, Scorbunny, and Sobble all scampered over to the blacktop arena and waited as Leon turned to his brother, "So... which one will it be?"

Hop walked over and made a beeline for the small green simian who was bouncing on his heels, "No question about it. He's got the right spirit and energy. Grookey, you're the one for me! I aim to be the next champion so you and I have a lot of training to do. But first you'll need a name... what do you think of Scamp?"

The monkey gave a happy squeak and climbed up on Hop's leg to hang off his arm, "All right... Scamp it is."

Leon crossed his arms proudly and looked over to Victor and Gloria, "How about you two? Any of them catch your eye?"

Gloria carefully ambled over bent down to reach out toward the little blue sobble. The lizard hesitated and cautiously looked toward the girl's outstretched hand. Gloria spoke to it in the same soft and soothing voice that she used to calm her pet wooloo, Bonnie. "Here now... aren't you just a wee little thing. It's all right. I won't hurt you."

The sobble padded forward and gingerly climbed into her hand allowing Gloria to pick him up and hold her new pokémon in a reassuring hug while she gushed, "Aww, look at him. He's so cute! Just you wait... you and I are going to conquer the world."

Victor and Hop exchanged bemused looks with each other before Victor asked, "And do you have a name for your new little warlord there?"

"I was thinking of calling him Gilly," Gloria said thoughtfully before Victor pointed something out.

"Uh, he's a lizard. You know he doesn't have gills, right?"

Gloria gave a little huff, "Oh, it doesn't matter Victor! I'm naming him Gilly, and that's final!"

Victor shook his head and turned to face the last remaining pokémon waiting on the blacktop. He bent down and offered a kind smile to the rabbit, "Well I guess that means it's you and me, huh? What do you say? You wanna be my partner Scorbunny?"

The small rabbit tilted his head and gave Victor a curious look before the trainer paused again, "Ah... I see. You probably want a cool nickname like your friends, don't you? Hmm... how does Hotspur sound to you?"

The scorbunny responded with an excited grin and hopped up in the air giving Victor a fist bump of approval. "Then it's settled. I think we'll make a good team."

"How about we put that to the test, Victor?" Hop asked with an eager look, "How about we start training now and have a little battle?"

"The battles can wait dear," said the voice of Mrs. Powers as she came to the yard with her husband, "To celebrate Leon's return home, we were thinking of having a little cookout tonight. Of course, the Bennetts and McLeods are invited to come too."

"Thanks Mrs. Powers. I'll let my parents know," Victor said as he turned to leave the yard, "And show them my new pokémon too."

He tucked away the scorbunny's pokéball to his belt and gave a wave, "Come on Hotspur. I'm sure Dad and Mum are going to flip when they meet you."

As the energetic rabbit pokémon bounded forward and left a few cinders from each step, Victor couldn't help but smile as he followed along. Even if they were going to take a break with a barbecue dinner for tonight, Victor Bennett still had his own hopes and dreams of one day competing in the league tournament. He knew that iif he could match he same fiery passion and energy of his new scorbunny, Victor had a feeling that just maybe... they'd yet have a chance for a great adventure and an even more unforgettable ride.


	2. Lost and Found

The next morning after having breakfast, Victor walked outside of his house and sat down on the lawn while his new scorbunny bounded into his lap. As Victor scratched his pokémon behind its long ears, he breathed in the fresh cool air of the countryside and enjoyed the bright warm light of the morning sun on his face. "I don't know about you Hotspur, but this is the perfect way to start a weekend, isn't it?"

The little rabbit murmured an affirmative and began to stir restlessly in his arms. If there was one thing Victor was learning about his new pokémon , it was that his scorbunny seemed just as curious as he was hyperactive. Before he could say anything more, Victor looked across the yard to see Gloria coming over from next door to visit. She hopped the low fence and gave a wave as she ambled over. "Mornin' Victor! You just had to get outside today too, huh?"

"Yeah. Hotspur seemed kinda restless during breakfast so I thought we could play outside and burn off some of that energy," Victor answered letting his pokémon go. As Hotspur hopped over and greeted Gloria, Victor looked around, "Speaking of... where is your new best mate?"

Gloria smiled and took off her cap where her sobble was curled up underneath. "Doing what he does best. Instead of hiding in his pokeball, it seems he found a better spot. Come on then Gilly. Out you go."

She pulled the little blue lizard off her head and plopped him down on the ground. Gilly tensed and gave a mild whimper as Hotspur came over to greet the new visitor. The scorbunny sniffed Gilly a few times before offering a friendly paw. Victor and Gloria looked on with quiet smiles as their two pokémon relaxed around each other and scampered off to play together nearby. Victor grinned, "Looks like they'll be fast friends after all."

"Hopefully as much as their trainers," Gloria added as she pointed toward the front gate of the Bennett home. "And here come two more."

Strolling up the lane were Hop along with his older brother Leon. Their neighbor from across the street gave an eager wave and flashed a bright grin, "Heya! Glad you two are up and about. Victor, are you doing anything important right now?"

"Not really. Why?"

Hop pounded a fist into his hand showing that he was holding a pokéball , "I was wondering if you were still up for that pokémon match from yesterday."

From his backpack, Hop's grookey Scamp poked his head out and gave the two other trainers a big cheeky smile. "I've been itching to get some practice in now that the tournament season is just beginning. Even Scamp here is itching for a battle, right little guy?"

Scamp gave an excited squeak and waved his small wooden stick about while Leon crossed his arms in amusement, "Well, Bennett? What do you say? Do you accept my brother's challenge?"

Victor blinked in surprise for a moment, unsure of how to answer before Gloria spoke up.

"Don't be daft! Of course he does!" Gloria answered giving Victor's shoulder a little push, "Isn't that right, Victor?"

"Ah... right. You're on Hop!" Victor answered trying to muster his own courage for an upcoming battle. If Gloria seemed to believe in him, then he certainly didn't want to let his childhood friend down either.

"Great! Meet me in my yard in five minutes," Hop answered as he took off for home, "I'll get the training arena ready!"

"Right then... best we get ready too. Right, Hotspur?" Victor said turning to find his pokémon. "Hotspur?"

He was interrupted as he heard his name being called sharply, "Victor!"

He winced as he saw his mother approach from the garden at the side of the house. She was dressed in her gardening coveralls and wearing a cross expression as well. In her hand she had wrangled Victor's scorbunny and carried him over. The mischievous little pokémon already had patches of dirt on his white and red fur and he gave an innocent look as he was returned to his owner. Mrs. Bennett cleared her throat, "Victor, please keep a closer eye on your scorbunny and make sure he behaves? I found your little friend poking around the bushes and digging up my garden."

Gilly had already hurried over and returned to Gloria's waiting hands for protection while Victor gave an apologetic look. "Sorry Mum. I won't let it happen again."

He took his pokémon back with a sigh and started to brush off the dirt from his fur, "You've gotta relax a little bit. Do you want to get us both in trouble with my mum?"

Hotspur gave another grin and clung to Victor's shirt causing his trainer to roll his eyes, "All right... in that case, if you really want to run around and burn off some energy, why don't you do it during the battle that's coming up. We're going to Hop's house. Let's go."

* * *

A short time later, Victor and Gloria arrived at the backyard of Hop's house where they found the young trainer already waiting on his end of the blacktop. Leon stood off on the sidelines at mid-court to act as a referee while Gloria came to join him. Victor stepped over to his side of the court in the trainer's box with his scorbunny at his side. As he faced down Hop, Victor tried to get into the right mindset and view the field as trainer would in an official league match. Of course, this was just a small backyard arena and the scope and noise of the official league battles were a hundred times larger. Like Hop, Victor was enthusiastic about pokémon , but in a different kind of way. He had watched many pokémon matches that were broadcast on television and tried to study the creatures' moves and strategies against each other. He just hoped he could stay focused and clear headed enough to remember what he needed to.

"All right... my first ever battle and with a worthy rival!" Hop called over, "I've watched every match Leon's ever had! I know exactly what to do in order to win! Don't think I'll go easy on you Victor!"

Victor snorted as he accepted the challenge and heard Gloria shout out some extra encouragement, "Kick his _bahookie_!"

Hop reached to his pocket and pulled out a pokéball before tossing it out onto the field, "Wooloo! You're up!"

To Victor's surprise, Hop led off with a second pokémon that he must have gotten from his family too. A fluffy wooloo much like Gloria's emerged from its pokéball in a flash and gave a bleating cry. Victor turned to his scorbunny and gestured forward, "All right... two on one, huh? Go Hotspur!"

Victor's scorbunny bounded out into the battlefield and energetically bounced on his hind legs, ready for a fight. Hop's lip curled into a competitive grin.  
"Okay... Wooloo, tackle him!"

The sheep curled itself into a fluffy ball of wool and rolled forward trying to ram itself into its foe, but Hotspur was too quick. The scorbunny easily evaded the tackle and used its natural speed and agility to dodge his foe. As the wooloo continued to change direction on the court and roll after the rabbit, Hop growled, "Don't give up! Tackle him again!"

Once more the plodding wooloo tried to slam into the scorbunny but Hotspur jumped clear over it and landed back on his side of the blacktop safely. Victor smiled with a mixture of pride and surprise, "Nice moves Hotspur! Hang in there, okay? Let's pay him back in spades! Get ready and hit em with a flying tackle of your own!"

Hotspur gave a nod and bent down on his haunches as the opposing wooloo rolled forward for another pass. As Hop's wooloo neared, Hotspur timed his jump and sprung into the air, aiming to collide with his enemy. Just as the wooloo finished another revolution and exposed its head to the air, Victor's scorbunny extended its powerful foot and smashed into the sheep pokémon with a flying jump kick. Hop could only stand in silent shock as Hotspur back-flipped off the wooloo's head and landed gracefully while his own pokémon was stopped dead in its tracks from the impact. The wooloo reeled from side to side as if it were in a drunken stupor before falling flat on its face in a stunned heap. Leon waved a hand, "Wooloo is unable to battle! Scorbunny wins the round!"

"All right! Way to go!" Victor cheered as his scorbunny bounced up and down victoriously. From the sidelines, Gloria gave an energetic cheer and pumped her fist while her sobble clung to her shoulder and squeaked out its own reply.

Hop frowned and recalled his wooloo before tossing out another pokéball, "Hmmph! I'm not through yet. Scamp! Go get em!"

As the light faded, Hop's grookey appeared and pulled out his wooden stick. The little green furred monkey stood ready to fight and just like before, Hop called out a command first and immediately went on the offensive, "Scamp, just like we practiced! Use Branch Poke!"

The grookey gave a small howl and thrust his stick at Hotspur in a flurry of attacks. Although the rabbit was able to dodge several of the blows, it was harder to evade a more agile opponent like the grookey and a few hits went through. Hotspur tumbled clear and regrouped to catch its breath. Luckily, it seemed the Branch Poke didn't do much harm on the scorbunny and Hotspur managed to shrug off the blows. Victor still saw his pokémon wince and quickly glance back toward him for direction, suddenly unsure of how to proceed in battle. Victor frowned and surveyed the field. Scamp could almost match Hotspur in speed and unless they wanted to have a drawn out slugging match, physical attacks weren't going to be all that effective either. Thinking back to past matches broadcast on TV, it suddenly dawned on Victor that he still had another edge. He could exploit a natural type advantage. The special attacks of Fire-types like Scorbunny were effective against Grass-types like Grookey.

Victor smiled and gave a wave with growing confidence, "All right, let's turn up the heat! Hotspur, scorch that grookey's fur with an Ember attack!"

Both Hop and his grookey paused and looked on in surprise as Hotspur began to rapidly thump his feet into the blacktop to build up friction in order to spark the special pads under it feet where his fiery energy was generated. Scamp suddenly shied away as a small cloud of fiery embers were kicked up into the air by the scorbunny. Before the grookey could launch another attack, Hotspur kicked several little plumes of fire from its feet bombarding Scamp. The grookey gave a panicked screech as it was struck by the embers and scorched.

"All right, hold up! That's enough!" Hop called as he waved to Leon to stop the fight. The little grookey rushed over and hopped in the nearby pond, sighing in relief as the cool water relieved the singes on its fur. "Oh man... you knew about type advantages? I wasn't even thinking about that just now!"

"Great work Hotspur! You were awesome out there!" Victor grinned as he picked up his scorbunny in a hug and jumped when he realized the rabbit's feet were still hot.

"I agree. You two were brilliant!" Gloria added as she came over to congratulate her friend.

Victor gave her a smile as she patted his arm before he came over to check on the grookey, "Hey... is Scamp, okay?"

"He'll be just fine," Leon answered as he came over carrying two little spray canisters. He bent down and scooped up the monkey before applying a dose of its contents causing the grookey to perk up, "Nothing a little potion and a burn-heal ointment can't fix."

Hop gave a relieved sigh and patted his pokémon's head before taking him back, "Thanks Leon... and thanks for the battle Victor. Seriously, that was a shock. You and that scorbunny are too much."

"He's right," Leon agreed with an impressed smile, "From what I saw, you kept your cool and thought fast out there. I'd say you've got some real promise as a trainer. But I've also got a favor to ask you."

Victor exchanged a curious look with Gloria before turning back to Leon, "Okay. What is it?"

Leon slung an arm around his brother's neck, "If you have any intention to compete in the tournament, be a real rival to Hop, would you? Push him, so that both of you can get stronger together."

Victor smile, "Well... I guess I can't say no to a request from the Champion of Galar, can I?"

Hop interrupted, "Don't worry, bro! I already want to get stronger! Surely you've got to let me take on the Gym Challenge!"

"Slow down little brother," Leon chuckled, "You don't think you're putting the cart before the rapidash, do you? If that's what you really want to do, then you all still have a lot to learn about pokémon. Before you think about getting gym badges, you might want to get a pokédex first. A pokédex helps a trainer learn everything they need to know. You can start by heading over to see Professor Magnolia at the local research lab near Wedgehurst. I'll let her know to expect you."

Hop pumped his fists and scooped up his grookey, "Right then! There's no time to waste. Let's get going!"

Leon nodded and headed indoors, "I'll go tell Mum you're headed out. Victor and Gloria, you two should probably do the same."

As the three young friends left the yard and headed back down the lane, they stopped when they heard a loud crash. They exchanged curious looks and rushed over to see what the cause of all the commotion was. To their shock, they found that part of the fence that bordered Victor and Gloria's homes had been smashed apart. A cold sweat ran down Gloria's neck as she realized it was on her property and that it had been the same spot she had caught Bonnie running into the other day. She bent down and looked at the ground confirming her suspicions, "Oh no! These are wooloo tracks! You don't think Bonnie broke loose and escaped, do you?"

Hop eyed the tracks and gulped when he saw them leading toward the thick forests in the near distance, "It looks like the tracks lead into the Slumbering Weald!"

"But that area is dangerous... and off limits," Victor agreed with a look of dread, "We're not supposed to go in there."

"What are you saying Victor? We've got to go!" Gloria cried as she pulled on his shirt collar and shook him in alarm, "What if Bonnie is in trouble? She could be hurt, or scared! We've got to save her! Please?"

Hop crossed his arms and grimaced, "She's right... even if we're not supposed to, this is the kind of situation where we simply have to do what's needed."

Victor paused and thought it over, weighing over Hop's words while looking to Gloria who fixed him with a pleading expression. As much as Victor hated to admit it, Hop was right... and if Gloria was in trouble and really needed him, Victor couldn't say no to her either. He reluctantly nodded his head and mustered his courage, "All right. Let's do it."

"Thanks guys! I really owe you for this!" Gloria said with gratitude before rushing off to get something from her house. She came out a few minutes later and led the charge into the Weald carrying Bonnie's pokéball. "Come on! Let's go save my family's wooloo!"

* * *

A short time later, the three friends pushed into the thick forests of the Slumbering Weald which was located at the edge of Postwick. Although the village was a safe and peaceful place, the Weald had always been designated as "out-of-bounds" for the local children and those who wandered too close often received a severe scolding from their parents. Most likely, the adults were worried that the kids would get lost, or trip and hurt themselves in the thick undergrowth. Although those were realistic fears, there had always been an element of the supernatural too. The Weald was an ancient forest dating back to the settlement of Galar and the rural people who lived in this farming community were often superstitious. There were all sorts of old folktales of dire beasts and mysterious ghosts who haunted the woods... perhaps crafted to scare the children and keep them away. No one could be sure.

Despite the reputation of the place, Victor and Gloria had never really been bothered living so close to those woods. Though on some nights when it would get very dark and foggy, the two had to admit that the desolate forest and a creepy unearthly quality about it. Unfortunately, it seemed that despite the bright start to the day, the weather had begun to quickly change for the worse. A front of thick clouds had moved into the skies bringing with it a misting fog. The three trainers stayed together as they stayed close to an old dirt path and followed the wooloo tracks.

"That wooloo… where do you think she ran off to?" Hop grumbled as Gloria continued to study the ground the lead them.

"I don't know, but the fog is really coming on thick now," Victor noted, "If we don't find Bonnie soon, this might mean trouble."

"Great. That's the spirit," Gloria sighed in mild sarcasm as she struggled to follow the trail. As she pressed on through some tall grass, she paused to look around and notice how the thick forest had gotten darker and foggier. She knew Victor was right and she was beginning to regret her decision to go into the woods, but it was too late to turn back now much less admit it. As the mist continued to blanket the woods, the shadows began to play tricks with their eyes. Skwovets and rookidiees flitted about and lurked in the darkness peering at the intruders like quiet phantoms.

While the three trainers pressed on, their pokémon stayed close to them offering them a small sense of added comfort. Hop tried to keep his voice steady as he patted his grookey, "Heh... good thing we've got our pokémon here to protect us, right?"

Before his friends could agree, a long wailing howl echoed through the trees seeming to come from everywhere and nowhere at once. Victor froze and felt his blood run cold as Gloria grabbed his arm. She huddled close and for a moment looked as timid as her own sobble.

"What was that?" she hissed, "Did you hear it? Do you think that was a pokemon crying out just now?"

Victor gulped, "What the hell kind of pokemon makes that noise?"

Victor's scorbunny Hotspur whimpered quietly in agreement and clutched the pant leg of his trainer's jeans. Despite Hotspur's adventurous nature, even he was looking a bit spooked right now.

Hop quickly interjected, "Hey! I just heard something else. Listen."

Everyone remained quiet and listened as another quiet noise came from nearby. It almost sounded like the bleating "Baaahs" of a wooloo. Victor, Gloria, and Hop went off the main path and pushed through some grassy undergrowth where they found a clearing. At one corner, they spotted the errant wooloo cowering near a bush. Gloria rushed over and hugged the pokémon in relief, "Oh, Bonnie! There you are! I'm so glad I found you!"

The wooloo gave a contrite whimper as Gloria checked her over to make sure she was unharmed. While she did, Gilly clambered from her arm and climbed on the wooloo's fluffy neck to give it some added reassurance. Gloria took her pokéball and recalled the creature back inside before tucking it into her bag. "Glad that's taken care of. Right guys? Guys?"

She turned and noticed her two friends looking around the clearing in a quiet state of wonder. "What are you both gawking at?"

Victor pointed toward what looked to be an ancient stone shrine rising up from the ground. It was overgrown with moss and ivy and the structure appeared to be the ruins of some arch over a dias and a pedestal. "Look at that. I don't remember ever hearing anything about this place."

"What is it?" Hop asked as they walked over to inspect the ruins, "Maybe it's a tomb with a rotting skeleton!"

"Oh cut it out Hop!" Gloria scolded him trying not to show her own fear. In spite of her rebuke, she kept a wary eye and unconsciously took hold of Victor's hand. Victor put that thought aside and walked over toward the shrine to get a better look until they spotted two artifacts which had seemingly been integrated into the stone masonry. By the looks of it, they appeared to be an ancient sword and shield.

"Hmm... this is curious," Victor said as he inspected the artifacts, "I wonder who these belong to and what these are doing here?"

As Victor examined with artifacts with Gloria, Hop felt a heavy breath of air on his neck. "Come on Scamp. Cut it out. You're breathing down my neck here."

He froze in alarm when he suddenly saw his little simian pokémon tug at the leg of his pants. If his grookey was down there... what was behind him?

Hop felt the hairs on his neck stand on end as he slowly turned around to face the dreadful entity behind him. What he saw caused him to jump away and give an alarmed shout to his two companions, "What in the..."

Victor and Gloria whirled around and saw a terrified Hop scrambling toward them with his grookey in tow. They turned their eyes upward and froze in equal terror as an alien creature emerged from the mists. It was hard to get a good look at the creature, but it appeared to be a large lupine pokémon with piercing eyes and an ethereal flowing mane of fur. It reared up its graceful frame and tilted its head back giving a loud unearthly howl that filled the woods and struck fear in the hearts of everything that heard it.

"Victor? What do we do?" Gloria asked as he stood in front of her and Hop and waved his scorbunny forward, "We've got to get out of here! I'll cover you two!"

"Are you out of your mind? I'm not leaving you here!" Gloria protested as she urged her sobble to join the fray, "Come on Gilly! Go help your friends!"

"That goes ditto for me too," Hop added as he sent his grookey out and tried to regain his nerves.

The ethereal wolf pokémon shrouded in mists stood impassively and cast a baleful glare at the three small pokémon arrayed against it. It was clear that Hotspur, Gilly, and Scamp were all frightened, but they knew that they had to try and protect their trainers too. Victor decided to take the initiative and called out, "Hotspur! Light that thing up with your Ember attack!"

The scorbunny kicked up several motes of fire and sent them at the ghostly creature but the flames appeared to pass through it harmlessly. Was it some kind of illusion? Gloria blinked in surprise and steadied herself as she gave a command. "Chin up Gilly! Try and use your Water Gun!"

The little blue lizard sucked in a deep breath and fired a powerful spray of water at the wolf but again the attack phased through it and disappeared into the fog. Hop shook his head and waved his grookey to assist, "This is bloody irritating. Scamp, whack em with your Branch Poke!"

The little green monkey gave a battle cry and went at the wolf with its stick, but it halted when it saw that its strikes were completely ineffective too. The wold glowered at the three little pokémon and howled again causing them to run back to their trainers in panicked fright. Hop scooped up his grookey and gripped Victor's arm while Gloria clutched the other, "Uh... you have any more bright ideas?"

Victor never got a chance to answer as the wolf gave another booming howl and kicked up a powerful cloud of blinding mist and fog. The mist was cold and seemed to completely take one's breath away. Before the three trainers knew it, they had been completely engulfed in the fog. One by one, their visions went completely white as they were blinded, confused, and overwhelmed by the dreadful suffocating mists.


	3. Futures Uncertain

A cool breath of air rippled over Victor's cheek as he began to stir. His senses were still foggy even as he slowly cracked his eyes open and found himself laying facedown on the forest floor. He willed his muscles to move and picked himself up, trying to survey the area. The fog was beginning to clear from the peaceful clearing and he wondered if he had blacked out. Had that all been a magical effect of the strange wolf pokémon? Where did it even go? Victor pushed the thoughts aside and focused on what was in front of him now. Hop and Gloria also lay on the ground nearby along with their pokémon.

Hotspur began to wake up beside Victor and his trainer protectively scooped him up into his arms, "Are you okay buddy? Hang on, I promise we'll get you out of here."

Victor bent down and began to shake his friends to rouse them from their sleep, "Hop? Gloria? Wake up. Are you two all right?"

They both groaned and slowly began to come to when a pair of figures approached from the fog. One was humanoid while the other looked like a dragon with a glowing flame lighting the way. To the teenagers' relief, they looked up to see the arrival of Leon and his trusty charizard. Leon neared and spotted the three, breaking out into a relieved expression as he rushed over, "Hop! There you are! Thank goodness!"

Hop shook off his daze as his older brother helped him stand, "Lee? I… what are you doing here?"

"I could ask you the same thing Hop," Leon answered with a reproachful frown, "You had me worried sick! When you didn't show up again at the house, I had to go looking for you and Charizard helped me."

Hop shied away slightly from Leon's scolding, "I'm sorry Lee. Gloria's wooloo got loose and wandered into the forests. We went to go rescue her and fortunately we did."

Leon maintained his stern frown and crossed his arms, "Well… even if your reasons were noble, you know this area is out of bounds. Still, it did take a lot of courage to come in here. I'm just glad you're all okay."

At that, Gloria stepped in and bowed her head apologetically, "I'm really sorry about this Leon. Please don't be mad at Victor and Hop. You should blame me. It was my wooloo who caused the problem and they were only trying to help."

Hop shrugged, "Anyway, I'm just glad you came when you did Lee. I thought we were goners when that weird fog rolled in and that mad pokémon attacked."

"Attacked by a mad pokémon?" Leon asked with a confused frown, "What are you talking about, Hop?"

"It looked like a big ghostly wolf and came out of the mists," Victor replied, "It was stronger than any other pokémon I've ever seen and it just had this… I don't know, ghostly presence about it. The attacks of our pokémon didn't even affect it! They just seemed to pass right through!

Leon paused and gave a pensive look toward the three, "Is that so? Are you kids sure you weren't just imagining the whole thing?"

"Oh it was real all right!" Gloria insisted, "I know what I saw and it was real! Right, Gilly?"

The sobble on her shoulder gave a low whine and nodded its head along with Hop's grookey.

Leon sighed and gave a shrug, "Hmm… well, maybe one day we'll figure out what that thing might have been. For now, let's just get out of here, okay? You'll all be safe now that Charizard and I are here with you."

His charizard gave a low grunt of agreement and waved it flaming tail about to light the path home. Everyone turned and began to head back for the main path and depart the weald before any other troubles arose. Before they left, Victor stopped to give one more long look to the mysterious shrine sleeping in the woods. As they began walking behind Leon and his charizard, Hop elbowed Victor and spoke quietly, "Well, even if we did get an earful from Lee, that was still quite an experience, huh? I know this will make a great new chapter in the tale of my legend!"

Between that ghostly pokémon and the mysterious artifacts in the shrine, Victor decided to remain quiet. At least for today, there were quite enough legends to go around already.

* * *

After returning to Postwick, the trainers all recalled their pokémon to their pokéballs and returned home to rest. Although the fog passed, the weather remained bad for the rest of the day putting a damper on their plans. The next morning, the three trainers and Leon headed in to Wedgehurst to visit the research lab. By now, the clouds and rain had passed giving way to clear sunny skies once more. It was around mid morning when the group made their way up the main path and entered the small rustic downtown area of Wedgehurst. Aside from some high end stores, rowdy pubs, and a new pokémon center, the rest of the town was like most of the other quaint and sleepy villages in the Galarian countryside. As they headed down a sidestreet, they followed the path until they reached the pokémon research lab which had been converted from the remains of an old library. From the outside, it looked to be an unassuming place on the corner with old masonry, but once they stepped inside, the young trainers were impressed by the way the lab opened up.

As they entered, they were greeted by an airy kitchenette off to the side lit up by light and windows while the rest of the former library opened up into two semi-circular floors lined with shelves of books and work stations. Upon the main table to the right were piles of half open books and paperwork scattered about. Leon gave a low whistle as he wore a nostalgic expression, "Take a look at all these books. The place is pretty impressive, huh?"

"Wow! Who knew there was so much that went into studying pokémon!" Gloria agreed with wide eyes as she scanned the shelves, "Professor Magnolia must be a real genius. But, where is everyone? It seems like they're out to lunch."

Everyone turned as they heard a canine animal bark out a loud greeting,"Bow-ark!"

Sure enough, a yamper scuttled around a corner and and hurried over on its short stubby legs. The electric dog pokémon with a little lightning bolt on its tail scampered over and greeted the visitors with its round fluffy head and its tongue hanging out of its mouth. Leon bent down with a warm grin and petted the fur of the playful pokémon "Not everyone. Hi Champ! Been a while hasn't it? He's a real good boy and always glad to see me."

"And what about me Leon?" came a female's voice from the second floor bookshelves. Everyone looked up to see an attractive young woman about Leon's age lean over with a half smile before sauntering her way down the winding steps. She was dressed in leggings with an aquamarine top and a stylish short trenchcoat over it. Her reddish hair was styled in a side ponytail which had several silver heart accessories clipped on to it. "Come to ask for us to look into some super strong pokémon? Or maybe to make some other outlandish requests?"

Leon paused a moment and greeted the woman with a sheepish face, "Sonia. Hi. Nice to see you again. It's also been a while, hasn't it?"

Sonia came and joined the trainers. She stood in front of Leon with crossed arms and a raised eyebrow. Victor and Gloria exchanged a puzzled look as Leon offered weakly "I uh... don't think I saw you at the train station yesterday."

"I was a little busy," Sonia replied heading over to the messy table with a breezy sigh, "Aren't you forgetting something?"

"Right," Leon said quickly turning to the teens, "Sonia here is Professor Magnolia's granddaughter and an old childhood friend of mine. She's an assistant in the lab but a real pro in the kitchen. She makes great meals that everybody loves, especially her pet yamper here."

"That's kind of an odd introduction, don't you think?" Sonia shrugged as Gloria bent down to pet the yamper too, "Leon and I were also rivals during our first Gym Challenge several years ago."

"And I never forgot how you helped me," Leon chimed in, "I was actually hoping you could help me again today? You remember my little brother, Hop?"

"Of course. How could I forget?" Sonia said sweetly as she shook Hop's hand.

Leon continued, "He's just started out as a pokémon trainer along with his two friends here, Victor Bennett and Gloria McLeod from the neighborhood. I was hoping you could set them on the right course?"

Sonia put a hand on her hip, "I suppose so, if you make yourself useful right now. Could you please take Champ for a little walk around the block then? He needs to get in his exercise today."

Leon waved Champ out the door leaving the trainers with Sonia as she shook her head with another sigh, "That Leon... always got his head in the clouds. Well, come on then. If you're all just starting out, there's something very important that you'll need: your pokédex. It'll serve as your repository of information and data about pokémon and their abilities."

She picked up some small red devices that looked like small digital flip-books that were hand sized. She handed them on each, "These particular ones were prepared by my gran but they're slightly out of date. If you want the most recent updated data, you could probably get them from her at her home. If you don't mind a little side trip, it's a big house at the edge of the lake just off of Route 2. You can't miss it."

"Thanks for the help," Victor said politely, "But... what about you? Are you going to be all right? It looks like you've really got your hands full here."

Sonia slumped down in a chair and pushed some papers, "Oh don't worry about me. I'll manage and sort through all this rubbish. A job is a job and it's better than being unemployed... even if I am just my gran's lab assistant."

"Ah, best we be going then," Gloria said diplomatically as she headed for the door with her fellow trainers in tow, "Cheers!"

Once they stepped outside with pokédexes in hand, Victor turned to Hop, "I wonder what's up with that Sonia girl?"

"Who knows?" Hop shrugged, "Girls can be complicated. All I know is that stuff happened in the past and she and Lee sometimes act kinda weird around each other. That's all he told me anyway."

"Huh. Okay... well, I guess in that case we'd better go find Leon and head for the lake house," Victor decided.

Gloria stopped him, "Err, wait a second guys. Since we're in town, I was hoping I could poke my head in a shop or two real quick?"

As Hop went off to search for Leon, Victor joined Gloria and took a short walk north. They went a few blocks before stepping into the glass doors of one of the higher end clothing shops in town sporting all the latest fashions and trendy clothes. There were several other customers milling about, mostly girls and women from more affluent families who were browsing. As Victor wandered off to look at some hats, Gloria ambled about the shop admiring all the cute but hopelessly expensive women's clothing before something caught her eye. She stopped when she spotted a beautiful blue dress with a tartan plaid design. The girl gave a sigh imagining herself in the dress and gave an even deeper sigh when she took a look at the price tag. "Oof! That's an awful lot of money to drop on a dress."

Gloria gave a forlorn look and felt as blue as the dress. Part of the reason she had gotten her pokémon trainer's license was to follow in her parents footsteps of breeding pokémon. In that sense, she had always loved living on the farm and caring for the wooloo and other creatures. While it was enough to get by here, raising livestock didn't make the McLeods particularly wealthy either. Gloria never resented the hard work or her family's more modest lifestyle... but sometimes she couldn't help but wish there was a little more money lying around for some of the finer things at times.

As she stepped away from the dress, she stopped in surprise when she bumped into a girl her age who she recognized. The lass went by the name of Lauren Alcott and had been Gloria's classmate until recently when she went off to attend a posh private school in the next town over where the wealthier families sent their kids. Not surprisingly Lauren looked like she belonged in this store as she had dressed in a very preppy way: a short dark skirt with leggings along with a white blouse and a maroon blazer. Gloria couldn't help but feel a little jealous of Lauren's style and natural beauty as well, from her bright blue eyes, angelic smile, and perfect blonde hair. Hell, even her chest was a little bigger than Gloria's too.

Lauren stopped a moment and greeted her old classmate with a breezy smile, "Gloria? Hello. I wasn't expecting to see you here."

"Oh, I was just passing through," Gloria answered evasively, "How are things going at the new prep school?"

"I suppose everything is going fine," Lauren shrugged as she sifted through some clothes in boredom, "As you can see, we have uniforms now, but I was hoping I could find something to replace some of the old rags in my closet. They're so last year."

Gloria winced, as she could only hope she would ever be able to own the garments Lauren referred to as rags. It was no surprise then that Lauren took one look at the blue tartan that Gloria liked and breezed by it, "You should really consider updating your look too. You have so much potential Gloria. You don't want to be wearing those frumpy things forever, right?"

Gloria swallowed her annoyance and forced a smile at the passive aggressive comment before Victor came over, "Hey Gloria. Are you ready to go?"

He stopped when he caught sight of Lauren and paused with a slightly dreamy look, "Oh... hi Lauren."

"Hello Victor," the girl said with a fake angelic smile, "Nice to see you again. I suppose Gloria dragged you out for a shopping date today?"

"Actually, we were going to head over to Professor Magnolia's home to update our pokédexes," Victor answered, still looking a little dumbstruck, "We just got our trainer's licenses recently. Right Gloria?"

His friend crossed her arms with a mild frown of disapproval, "Right."

Lauren regarded Victor with a slightly disinterested, almost patronizing look, "I see. Charming. Are you planning to try out for the Gym Challenge then? Now that school is out during the tournament, I came into town when I heard Leon was home. I was hoping I could impress him enough so that he'd endorse me."

"Endorse?" Gloria asked.

"Everybody knows that," Lauren answered pedantically wagging a finger, "They don't just let any trainer walk in and challenge the gym leaders of the region, you know. You need to be endorsed by one of the pros to be able to compete in the league tournament. With enough practice, I'm hoping my chewtle and I will be going places. You wouldn't happen to have seen Leon, have you?"

As Victor began to answer, Gloria swiftly clamped a hand over his mouth and dragged him out of the store, "Actually, no. We haven't. Sorry. Best of luck Lauren. Cheers!"

Once they stepped outside, Victor frowned, " What was all that about Gloria? You didn't have to lie to her."

"Forget it," Gloria sighed, "And I didn't lie exactly. Technically, I haven't seen Leon recently... at least since we left the research lab."

Victor rolled his eyes before Hop spotted them down the street and waved them over, "Hey! I found Leon. Let's get going already! Come on!"

After rejoining the others, the young trainers set off down the pathway of Route 2 which wound around the rolling grassy hills and fields of the countryside. As they walked along and turned down a path leading towards the nearby lake, they admired the scenic farmlands in the distance with their golden wheat stalks and orderly tilled fields. Hop bounced along thinking aloud to himself, "You know, it's kind of hard to imagine that someone as famous and awesome as Leon could come from such a quiet place like this. Makes you wonder if that'll draw more people and businesses here."

"Well, as much as I hate to admit it, there is a corporate element of the Pokémon League. It's a big business and there's a LOT of money to be had in it," Leon mused, "I'm sure the current chairman of the league knows that best of all."

"Well, money from all the businesses would be a good thing, but I'm not sure if the price would be worth it if we lose this either," Victor said gesturing to all the nature around them, "Besides... I heard the big cities have been having their own problems, like the recent energy shortages. Rolling blackouts don't hurt us as much out here, but in the city? I can see how that might be a big problem."

Leon nodded solemnly in agreement before turning to Gloria who had been quiet, "Gloria? Everything okay?"

She turned with a start, "Oh? Sorry everyone. I was just lost in thought about something. I... Leon, you said there was a lot of money to be made in the Pokémon League. I was wondering how trainers can get a cut of it. I mean, it's not like most regular jobs."

Leon smiled and thought it over, "Hmm... I guess it works a lot like sports entertainment, like football matches you might see on the telly. It's all about advertising and sponsorships. For the average trainers, there's not a lot of money unless you make it big. Your best hope would be if you were lucky enough to pick up a sponsor or two when you go through the Gym Challenges. Even then, it's a big if."

"That's right! We need endorsements!" Hop exclaimed as he snapped his fingers, "Leon, you're one of the biggest names in the game right now. What if you endorsed us?"

Leon hesitated, "Oh... I'm not sure about that Hop. I can't just sign off for anyone and everyone, especially if they're family or friends. You understand, right?"

"I guess that makes sense," Victor answered as he patted the shoulder of a deflated looking Hop, "Leon can't play favorites after all. We have to earn our way to the top."

Leon tapped his chin and reached in his travel bag, "You know Victor... you just got me thinking. That's not a bad idea. I'll tell you what. If you three can prove yourselves as trainers and show some promise, then I'll think about endorsing you. First, I think you'd better start by catching a few more pokémon and getting a little more battle experience."

To the teens' surprise, Leon handed each of them several pokéballs, "This should be enough to get you all started. One more little gift from me, yeah?"

"Awesome! Thanks! I can't wait to get to it!" Hop said excitedly as he rushed off down the road ahead of the others, "Come on Lee! Let's go root out some pokémon in the tall grass!"

Leon shrugged and hurried off after his brother leaving Victor and Gloria to reach the professor's home at their own pace. As they walked along a river bend, Victor glanced over to Gloria and offered a cajoling smile, "So... you're thinking about winning the tournament and striking it rich?"

"You think I'm just interested in the tournament because of money?" Gloria frowned with a defensive tone, "I think you know me better than that Victor Bennett. You know I wanted to get my license to learn how to take care of pokémon better."

"Oh, I know," Victor answered apologetically, "I guess I was just a little surprised you were so curious about money all of a sudden."

Gloria shrugged, "Well fame and fortune would be nice bonuses, don't you think? Especially to help out my folks."

"Yeah. I just figured it might also have had something to do with that dress back at the shop. I noticed you were looking at it for a long time."

Gloria blushed slightly and felt herself getting a little self conscious so she raised her nose in the air trying to play it off, "Well what do you want to get from the tournament Victor? We all know Hop wants to be just like his brother... but what about you?"

Victor stopped in surprise and looked at her, "I... that's actually a good question. I guess I'm not totally sure yet. I mean, sure the idea of becoming a champion trainer is great, and so is the money. It's just..."

Gloria looked over and studied the face of her friend as he struggled to find the right words. Victor grimaced, "I guess it sounds a little silly, but if I made it big as a trainer, I'd want it to mean something too... to use it as a chance to do good for others... maybe here, or maybe for all of Galar. Kind of like how Leon is trying to inspire the young trainers in our town."

"You want to become some kind knight errant? Roaming the land saving damsels and slaying dragons?" Gloria giggled in amusement, "Are you sure you haven't been reading one too many fantasy novels about that old Hero of Galar bloke?"

"No. But I couldn't stop thinking about that ancient shrine we found in the weald the other day," Victor explained, "Part of me is still curious what it all meant, or if there was some reason we were able to find it when no one else who's been in the weald could. Maybe there's some kind of purpose or significance to the things we saw."

"So that you could be Galar's sword or shield in its darkest hour?" Gloria joked with a dramatic voice, "If you want to go on some kind of fantastical quest during the tournament, then who am I to stop you?"

Victor rolled his eyes toward his childhood friend's gentle teasing, then froze as he heard some rustling in the bushes nearby. Gloria jumped a moment and looked over in surprise toward the location of he mysterious intruder, "What is that?"

"I don't know... maybe it's a dragon for me to slay," Victor retorted in mild sarcasm as he pulled his pokéball out to the ready. To his surprise, the grasses parted and a wild yamper emerged from the brush. It looked to the two humans curiously with its tongue hanging out while it wagged its tail to build up an electrical charge. Victor smiled as he tossed his pokéball forward and opened it up, "It might not be a dragon, but I still know how to deal with this one. Hotspur, I choose you!"


	4. Stars Aligned

The scorbunny Hotspur emerged in a flash of light as the pokéball opened and returned to Victor's hand. The wild yamper gave a warning growl and stood its ground as it began to bark. Hotspur tapped his feet and began to generate some heat as Victor used his new pokédex to scan the yamper. It was widely known that tamed yampers were used as herding dogs in Galar. Despite being a little gluttonous and eager for treats, they were loyal dogs with the ability to generate electrical charges when they ran.

"You're not going to catch pokémon by sitting back and reading," Gloria said impatiently as she acted first and tossed a pokéball. The yamper reared back and surprised the trainers as it used its tail and hind legs to swat the ball back into Gloria's hands. She blinked in confusion as Victor now stepped in, "That's not going to work. We're going to have to weaken it first! Hotspur, give that yamper a tackle!"

Hotspur bounced forward and dashed ahead slamming into the dog with his shoulder. The yamper reeled from the hit as the scorbunny quickly maneuvered about and landed another body blow. As it skidded backwards and shook off the hit, the wild yamper planted its feet and met Hotspur's next charge, surprising it with one of its special attacks.

The yamper met Hotspur's tackle with one of its own and discharged some of the ambient electricity that it had generated in its body. As both small pokémon collided, the yamper led with its nose and forehead in a nuzzle-like attack to give Hostpur an electrical shock. Victor gasped in alarm as his scorbunny tumbled backward and took a long moment to get up while the electric shock gave it momentary paralysis. By now, the yamper had begun to recover as well and charged forward to slam into the scorbunny with another electrical attack.

"Oh no! Victor, do something!" Gloria called in alarm as her friend's pokémon struggled to move again.

Victor gritted his teeth as his mind worked furiously to come up with a plan. His scorbunny's limbs were still sluggish, but all it had to do was be able to move enough. Victor sliced the air with his hand and called out quickly, "Hotspur, just get your legs moving! Stop that thing with your Ember!"

The scorbunny gave a determined grunt and began to move its legs, jogging in place as it built up more fire in the pads of his feet. As the yamper closed in and lunged, Hotspur dropped to its back and kicked its feet up giving its enemy a face full of fiery energy. The wild pokémon gave a startled yelp and fell to the dirt in a stunned heap giving the trainer his chance. Victor hurled a pokéball and watched as it hit the downed yamper, pulling the creature into its spherical confines. Victor and Gloria stood watching with baited breath as the pokéball wobbled on the ground and blinked while the yamper struggled to break loose. Moments later, the light faded and the pokéball went still before Victor picked it up triumphantly, "All right! We got em!"

"It looks like I've got to step it up here," Gloria added as she congratulated him with a relieved smile, "Now we've each got two apiece."

Victor turned to his scorbunny and bent down to check on his friend. By now the electrical paralysis was wearing off and Hotspur was stretching its freed up limbs. Victor patted the rabbit's head and recalled him back to his own pokéball, "Nice work Hotspur. Take a breather. You earned it, mate."

Victor tucked the pokéballs away and felt Gloria nudge his arm, drawing his attention to Hop and Leon who were coming back down the road with a young boy in tow. The child had messy blonde hair and he wore an oversized sweater with a large squirrel design stitched on the front. The youth looked like he had been crying and was just starting to wipe his eyes as they all approached. Hop rejoined his friends and gestured over to the child, "Hey guys, looks like we'll have to cut our hunt a little short. Do you mind lending a hand?"

"Sure. What's wrong Hop?" Gloria asked glancing over to the newcomer.

Leon patted the youngster's head with a kind smile, "We came upon this kid who said he was in trouble and needed our help. Isn't that right, Benjamin?"

The kid stopped sniffling and gave Leon a grateful nod before turning to Victor and Gloria. After giving a brief introduction, he recalled his tale, "I lost my pet skwovet a little while ago. We were out in the woods near my house and we were looking for the red lights that fell from the sky last night."

"Red lights? That fell from the sky?" Victor asked in confusion. Beside him, Leon's face grew more concerned at the revelation.

"Did anything else happen? Maybe anything strange?"

Benjamin shrugged, "I don't know... my skwovet must have found something in the bushes but it was near a tree full of rookidees. The birds started acting up. Some chased my skwovet away while a couple others went after me."

"All right then, let's go find that skwovet and be heroes!" Hop cheered, "Maybe we might still catch a pokémon or two along the way!"

"Shouldn't we think about this a minute?" Victor asked but Leon shook his head, "Not right now. We need to move and try to find that pokémon. Just trust me on this."

The three novice trainers fell in line with Benjamin and they followed Leon into the nearby woods which were just off the path from Professor Magnolia's lake house. With Benjamin's help, they let the boy lead them to the spot of the attack and point out the direction where the skwovet ran off to. Gloria sighed, "Great. Now what? How are we going to hope to find that skwovet when the trail went cold?"

Victor paused a moment before he smiled and reached for a pokéball, "Hold on. I think I've got an idea. Yamper, come on out."

He opened the ball and called out his newly captured yamper who had now been tamed. The small dog-like pokémon shook out its fur and barked. It wore a friendly grin on its face and its tongue hung out while it panted excitedly. Hop's eyes went wide, "Whoah! You snagged a yamper already? Lucky you!"

Benjamin bent down and giggled in delight as he pet the yamper's fur and let it lick his hand. Leon crossed his arms and asked curiously, "I'm glad you caught a pokémon, but what are you planning to do with it?"

"I'm going to have my yamper do what they do best. Track and herd animals," Victor smiled as he scratched the dog's ears and asked his new pokémon for help. "Yamper? Can you pick up the scent of Benjamin's skwovet? There might be some fur on his sweater."

The yamper barked again and began to sniff the sleeve of the boy's sweater before it circled about in excitement. Hop smiled, "Brilliant. I think he picked up the trail! Lead on little guy."

The small electrical puppy led the way through the tall grasses and down a short woodland trail until they came to a clearing with a large oak tree near the center. The group stopped when they caught sight of a small flock of rookidees fluttering around the tree making cawing sounds. As the birds did, they gathered around a large hole in the tree poking at it with their beaks until the trainers saw that there was a skwovet trapped inside. Although it was safe in the tree truck, the squirrel pokémon kept swatting and fending off the birds with its tail.

"There she is!" Benjamin cried in alarm as he watched his pet getting attacked.

"We have to help it!" Gloria called in agreement as she tossed her pokéball and called her sobble to the field. As the small blue lizard emerged, it gave a hesitant look to his trainer for direction and encouragement. Gloria pointed for the treeline, "Gilly! Try to clear some room with your Water Gun!"

The sobble took a deep breath and fired a jet of water which knocked aside one of the rookidies and startled the others. Victor stepped forward and motioned for his pokémon and for Hop to follow suit, "She's right. Yamper! Hop! Let's clear a path!"

Victor's yamper charged forward barking up a storm while its naturally generated electricity began to crackle in its wake. Hop tossed his own pokéball and gave a shout to his grookey, "Scamp! Let's grab that skwovet!"

As Gilly continued to fire off sprays of water like an artillery gun, Scamp hurried forward and clambered up the tree while Yamper leapt at the other offending birds to scatter them. Scamp pulled his stick weapon free and swatted aside an attacking rookidee before it offered a helpful paw to Benjamin's trapped skwovet. Scamp took hold of the squirrel pokémon and made an agile leap from the tree to land to safety. By now, the wild rookidees regrouped and began diving for the humans in two groups. One flock went after Gilly while the other swooped down in pursuit of Scamp.

Gloria's eyes went wide in surprise and panic as she saw the birds suddenly go after her sobble and the little lizard shared in the panic. It fired off a few more Water Gun attacks before dashing back toward Gloria for protection. Seeing his friend in trouble, Victor waved his yamper over, "Yamper! Here boy! Our friends need help!"

The scrappy little yamper darted over and intercepted the incoming rookidees as they closed in to catch their sobble prey. As the yamper leapt up in the air, Victor and Gloria stood staring in amazement as the little puppy let loose a cloud of small lightning bolts and static electricity akin to a Thundershock-like attack. The bolts struck the rookidees and swept them away in spectacular fashion while Victor took a moment to recall the electric had been particularly effective against flying pokémon. As Gloria collected her sobble, Victor pulled another pokéball and pitched it at one of the rookidees who had been downed and lay stunned in the grass. Once again, the small bird was absorbed into the ball and it took several long moments before the ball stopped wobbling, signifying the rookidee had been captured and tamed.

Victor moved to retrieve the ball but was surprised as his new yamper hurried over over fetched the pokéball instead, returning it to him as if it were playing. He smiled proudly and took the ball before petting the puppy on its head, "Fantastic work, boy. You really played the blinder today... quite literally."

At the other side of the meadow, Scamp made his escape with the skwovet and turned to face several of the attacking birds. He was surprised when Leon suddenly swept in and shielded the two little pokémon, swishing his cape out to shoo the rookidees away. As the imposing presence of Galar's champion chased off several of the birds, one last rookidee made a diving peck attack from behind. Leon turned his head in surprise to meet the attack, but stopped when a pokéball flew through the air and hit the bird instead. As the bird was snared, Leon glanced over to see it was Hop who had thrown the ball and saved him. Moments later, the pokéball ceased wobbling and became inert signalling the capture of another rookidee. Leon picked up the ball and handed it to his younger brother with a smile. "Thanks for the save. I believe this belongs to you."

As the trainers regrouped in the meadow, Benjamin bent down and opened his arms in joy to welcome his pet skwovet back. "There you are! Thank goodness you're okay! Thank you so much for saving him!"

The teenage trainers all exchanged tired looks of relief as they watched Benjamin hug his pokémon. Hop eyed his new prize proudly while Gloria turned to Benjamin, "I'm glad that's over with... but I can't help but wonder. Why did all those rookidees go after your pet? Something must have set them off."

"Maybe they were defending their nesting grounds?" Victor asked as he recalled his yamper to its pokéball.

Leon gave a thoughtful look and came over to the skwovet in Benjamin's arms, "There might be another reason. May I?"

Leon gingerly reached for the skwovet's mouth and poked around before fishing three small objects from its cheeks. As Leon wiped the objects the trainers could see that they were three small smooth red rocks that looked like gemstones. "Maybe the rookidees wanted what they thought were these special berries which landed nearby... except these are more than just special pokémon berries."

"What are they?" Victor asked but Leon tucked them away and took on a somewhat serious demeanor.

"We can talk about that later. Let's just hurry on our way and get to Professor Magnolia's home. Come on then. As for you kid, you and your skwovet should head on home where it's safe."

Benjamin beamed as he hurried off with a grateful wave, "Thanks again Leon! You and your friends are the best. I won't forget how you helped me and I'll tell everyone I know how awesome you are!"

* * *

After leaving the woods and returning to the main road, the trainers all made their way down the dirt path until they finally came upon the stately home of Professor Magnolia. The large house was situated along the lakeside and parts of it were covered in wild ivy vines. Despite the well manicured gardens and elegant design of the house, it still had a very homey feel to it as well. Waiting at the door was an elderly woman with glasses, tied up gray hair, and a kindly face. She stood leaning on a cane, enjoying the warmth of the late day sun and the peace and quiet which came with her secluded home in the countryside.

As they passed the gate, she hobbled over and met Leon first, giving him a warm greeting, "Leon. Welcome home dear. So good to see you again."

"And you Professor," Leon smiled as he took the old woman's hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. "You remember my brother Hop?"

"Yes, of course. You've grown so much," Magnolia said looking Hop over proudly, "And are those pokéballs I see you carrying at your belt? You're a trainer now?"

"That's right Professor! I want to compete in the Gym Challenge and be just like my brother Leon!" Hop answered with eager enthusiasm.

Leon gestured to the others, "These are his other friends who are new trainers too. Victor Bennett and Gloria McLeod."

Victor and Gloria each gave polite greetings as the professor gave a welcoming gesture, "Hello, I am Professor Magnolia and welcome to my home. Please come in and let me offer you kids some tea and biscuits. It must have been a long walk from town."

She led them all into the kitchen and fetched some mugs as they sat down around the large table. She brought a plate of biscuits and poured them mugs of tea from a kettle that had been heating on the stove-top. Gloria mixed in some milk, then took a gulp of the tea. She sat back in her chair with a content smile, "Oh... it's so good. Thank you!"

Magnolia nodded to her then addressed the group, "If the three of you are new trainers, I trust my granddaughter Sonia has provided you with pokédexes back in town?"

"Yes Ma'am," Victor said as he enjoyed his tea as well, "We were all really impressed with just how much information was already in the pokédexes, and the research that was being done at the lab too."

"That's not all the professor studies," Leon interjected wearing a small grin, "Over these last several years, Professor Magnolia has been doing quite a bit of work on the Dynamax and Gigantamax phenomenons that are unique to Galar region."

Magnolia gave a wry smile, "Yes... Chairman Rose of the Pokémon League has provided quite a generous grant to study it. I imagine he wants the powers to be used to their fullest potential since they can only be done in particular areas, and by particular people as well."

"Which reminds me... we came across these in the woods nearby," Leon said as he produced the three red stones from his pocket and gave them to the professor, "A young boy said he saw a light from the sky last night and I figured they might be wishing stars."

Magnolia squinted as she got a closer look and nodded, "Indeed they are Leon."

"What are those?" Gloria asked in confusion.

Magnolia folded her hands, "Those who believe in magic and superstitions say their dreams come true when you find one of these rare stones, though I've found they have a much more practical application, such as dynamaxing pokémon ."

Victor nearly choked on his tea as he spluttered in shock, "Wait... what? You're serious? Those things can actually do that?"

"Well in that case, I wish to be the greatest trainer ever!" Hop exclaimed while Gloria rolled her eyes quietly.

"Don't be silly Hop," Magnolia chided him gently as she took the stones, "The power doesn't work that way. Besides, they won't work in their current state. I'd have to do a little bit of work on them first and then you should be able to use the dynamax ability."

Leon shifted uncomfortably, "Are you sure that's a good idea Professor?"

"They won't do much good sitting around otherwise," Magnolia countered.

"All right, cool!" Hop grinned excitedly, "Now we'll be able to dynamax just like Leon!"

The Champion frowned slightly, "Hold on little bro. There's still a lot you have to learn first."

Magnolia smiled again and took a sip of her drink, "Leon is right, dear. There are are many other things also worth knowing that don't even have to do with pokémon , like how to make the perfect cup of tea."

Hop finished his tea and stirred impatiently, "I guess that's true... but for now, I'd like to figure out a way to get endorsed so that I can compete in the League."

"Dearie me... you didn't endorse Hop?" the professor asked Leon with an amused look, "I thought your dream was to have all the trainers of Galar, particularly your own home borough become strong."

"Well, sure..." Leon admitted, "But Leon and his friends just started out. I gave them pokémon so that they can work their way up eventually."

Gloria smiled proudly as as she finished her drink, "Oh I don't know Leon, I'd say we were all pretty courageous and amazing when we helped save that kid's skwovet from those rookidees earlier."

"Not to mention, we caught a few more pokémon just like you asked us to," Victor added helpfully.

Leon chewed his lip realizing he was losing the argument quickly. He looked to Hop's hopeful face and gave a thoughtful look, "Okay... tell you what. I saw a hint of greatness in you out there earlier. But I'm not convinced just yet. If you can show me a brilliant battle and show me what you learned out there, I'll have no choice but to endorse you."

"That's great!" Hop cheered as he looked to his other friend, "Victor? What do you say? How about a rematch?"

Victor paused and thought things over. Gloria's words echoed in his mind from earlier about what he was hoping to get out of this journey. Of course he was there to help his friends, but given their heroics today and the thrill of catching pokémon, he began to have some second thoughts. Victor wondered if he was okay with only being a rival to Hop. Could he settle for just being there to push him? Adventure was calling. Leon had seen promise in him, and together with Hotspur, Victor seriously began to consider that he could make his own way and try to become a champion too. In that moment, he surprised everyone as he turned to Hop and met him with a determined look, along with answering in an equally determined voice.

"You're on, Hop."

"Then it's settled," Professor Magnolia said as she rose from the table, "If you'd like, I've set up a pokémon rejuvinator device in my lab. I'll see to it all your pokémon will be rested and healthy. It's not as good as the ones in the Pokémon Center, so it'll take a little extra time. There's plenty of space here so why don't you all stay for dinner and spend the night. You can have your battle in the morning and set off from there. Sonia should be home soon too. I'm sure she'll be glad to have the company and cook for you too."

"Well it has been a while since I ate her curry dishes," Leon admitted, "That's a kind offer Professor. I'd be a fool to turn it down. Thank you."

The professor excused herself from the table and went to work leaving the trainers to their own devices for the rest of the evening. While they waited for Sonia to return home from work, Leon and Hop went off to prepare for the battle tomorrow while Gloria went outside by the lake to let her sobble swim. By now, the sun was beginning to hang low on the sky and orange red light hung over the horizon of the countryside. Gloria sat down by the waterfront watching her little pokémon splash about in the shallows enjoying himself when she heard someone approach from behind. To her surprise, Victor came to join her as she sat down on the grassy bank near the water.

"Victor? What are you doing here? I thought you'd be off planning for that battle, or coming up with a strategy."

He shrugged and gave a grin, "I figured there are more important things to look into first. I wanted to make sure Gilly was doing okay. He had a close call earlier in the woods... but he looks pretty happy now."

"Yes," Gloria nodded, "Thanks to you and your yamper. I... thank you for saving him today."

Victor rubbed his neck sheepishly, "Err, don't mention it. I'm just glad he's okay... and so are you. It seems like the more get involved with these pokémon, the more work and responsibility we have, huh?"

"I know what you mean," Gloria sighed, "Not that I mind taking care of the pokémon. I just still wonder which path I want to go right now. My heart is in learning my parents' trade, but part of me wants to try my hand at battling or joining the Gym Challenge."

Victor gave a quiet smile of encouragement to his childhood friend, "Well, whatever you decide to do, I'm sure you'll do fine and that Gilly will be happy to help you."

"Thanks," Gloria said quietly as she glanced over to him too, "I'm guessing you have more serious thoughts about the tournament now?"

"If I can earn Leon's endorsement, yeah," Victor admitted, "What we did today got me thinking a little more. Maybe if the stars are aligned and if we get a little bit of luck... maybe I can take a shot to get to where Leon is."

Gloria chuckled, "Hmm. You don't want to go looking for those mythical pokémon in the weald, or go off saving the people of Galar?"

"First thing's first," Victor reminded her as he gave her shoulder a light nudge with his, " First I've got to prove I can battle. If I'm going to do that, I'm going to need some help. You do want me to beat Hop tomorrow, right?"

Gloria looked at him for a long moment before giving a playful sigh of resignation, "All right then Victor. Let's get to it and talk some strategy."

* * *

**A/N:**  
**Apologies for the minor delay on updates. You can chalk that up to real life and revising this chapter a few times. Going forward, one other thing I was curious about is if readers want me to give all of the main characters' other captured pokemon nicknames or should I just keep it to their main starters? Just wondering what the common custom around here is on that. Thanks again for any input and for following along so far!**


	5. Matters of Pride

A thin cool mist hung in the air as Victor found himself standing in a familiar forested glade. Much of the light from the sun was obscured by the trees and the fog, but Victor recognized the shape of an ancient stone arch and pedestal nearby. His heart skipped a beat as he realized he was back in the Slumbering Weald, standing alone by the ruins where he had confronted that ghostly wolf pokémon. His mind felt equally foggy and disoriented, as if he were in some kind of dream-like state. He took a few steps toward the arch and froze when he saw two shadowy apparitions emerge. Instead of one large ghostly wolf, there were now two looming before him. Despite his best efforts, Victor couldn't make out many clear details while the two pokémon lurked within the mists and shadows. Only the silhouettes of the two stood out as they remained keeping their vigilant guard.

"Who are you? What do you want?" Victor asked in confusion, "What is going on here?"

He took a few steps forward to try and get a better look when the fog set in and blinded him again with a cloud of white mist. When the miasma faded, Victor found himself awake on the cot of one of Professor Magnolia's guest rooms. Bright morning light was streaming in from the windows with the sounds of some birds chirping outside. He pushed aside his blanket and rubbed his bleary eyes. So it was a dream after all... but what did it mean? Had the experience in the weald really been that frightening and left a mark? Or was something more supernatural at work?

He decided to set that thought aside for now as he hurried to dress and head back downstairs. When he reached the kitchen, he found Professor Magnolia at the table eating breakfast with Sonia and Gloria. Sonia's pet Yamper, Champ was already wolfing down some food from his dish near Sonia's chair.

"Good morning," Sonia greeted him as she handed him a plate with some toast, eggs, and a sausage, "I cooked some breakfast for everyone. Hope you like it."

He gave a grateful nod and thanked her before heading to the table. Gloria took note of her friend's countenance and couldn't help but chuckle as he sat down beside her to eat, "Hey. Are you okay, Victor? You look like you just saw a ghost."

He shrugged it off and tried to evade the question, "Oh... err, I'm okay. I just had a weird dream."

"Hopefully it wasn't a result of yesterday night's curry," the professor chuckled as she sipped some tea. Sonia rolled her eyes slightly and picked up her yamper to cuddle with him.

"Oh come on, gran. You know my dinners are top notch."

Gloria prodded her friend, "So, what was your dream? Or, what was her name?"

Victor sighed from her teasing before relating his dream about the Slumbering Weald and the mysterious pokémon. At that, Gloria immediately became more quiet and solemn as she recalled the same fear and dread in the woods. She chimed in and told the professor about their recent encounter while wearing a hopeful look, "So... do you think it means anything?"

Magnolia gave a cryptic smile and shrugged, "I'm afraid I can't say Gloria. I am a scientist so things like dreams and mythical legends aren't my area of expertise."

"Maybe it has something to do with the legends about the Hero of Galar? The one who had stopped the Darkest Day a long time ago?" Sonia offered, "I mean... I know I'm not an ace student, but I did pay attention in Literature class."

"Speaking of heroes of Galar, where is Leon?" Victor asked as he finished his meal.

"He's out in the front yard with Hop," Gloria sniggered, "Hop said he'd practice his pokéball throw while you were sleeping like a Snorlax. I think he's eager for that rematch."

"Hmm. Awfully cheeky of him," Victor muttered as he got up from the table, "I guess I'd better oblige him then. Thank you again for the breakfast, Professor."

Magnolia waved the younger people off, "You're quite welcome dear. Why don't you three go on ahead. I have a few things to finish up in the lab."

She handed Victor his three pokeballs and shuffled off while Victor, Gloria, Sonia, and Champ went outside to find Hop. As expected he and Leon were in the front gardens on the small practice arena overlooking the lake. The skies were sunny and bright and they couldn't have asked for a better day. Hop looked over and greeted his friends with a nod before turning to Victor, "Well look who finally decided to show up. If I'm going to make it to the championship match, I'm going to need my rival to push me hard. You ready to do this?"

"You'd better believe it," Victor answered as Leon and the girls took up spectator spots at mid court on the sidelines. Leon threw his cape back behind his shoulders in a grand gesture wearing an eager smile, "All right boys. You want an endorsement? Show me what you've got!"

Victor and Hop faced off in their respective neutral boxes as the bright morning sun shone down on the battlefield. Leon gave the signal and both young trainers tossed their first pokéballs into the fray. Victor smiled as he caught his returning pokéball and fielded a rookidee. "Leading off with Wooloo again, huh? That works for me."

"What's wrong with that?" Hop called back as he tensed for battle.

From the sidelines, Leon crossed his arms in amusement, "Victor's got a point, little bro. You don't want to be too predictable."

Hop cracked his knuckles, "Well that's okay. We're a little bit stronger and wiser now. Wooloo, tackle em!"

Hop's wooloo curled up and rolled forward quickly to try and steamroll the little rookidee but Victor was already prepared. "Okay Rookidee, take to the air and stay out of reach!"

The dark feathered bird gave a chirp and took of into the air, hovering about while Hop's wooloo circled about uselessly on the ground. Hop gave a surprised frown, "Well that's just great! What are we supposed to do now? My wooloo doesn't have any moves to touch your rookidee."

Victor flipped open his pokédex as a reference for moves, "Maybe, but I've still got a couple tricks. Rookidee, show it your Leer!"

As it hovered in the air, the rookidee turned and cast a sharp baleful glare with its red eyes. Hop's wooloo froze in place and hesitated as it suddenly found itself intimidated by the glowing eyes of the little black bird. In that moment of hesitation, Victor gave a shout, "Now's you chance Rookidee! Finish em with Power Trip!"

The rookidee gave a screeching cry and dove down on the frightened wooloo who now had its guard down. The rookidee plowed into the sheep and sent it rolling back toward Hop before flopping down in a stunned heap.

"Wooloo is down! This round goes to Victor!" Leon called with a grin while Hop recalled his pokémon and sent out another.

"All right. You got lucky on that one, but I've got just the counter. Go Scamp!"

Hop's grookey emerged on the battlefield and didn't waste any time before pulling its wooden stick and waving it around. Victor smirked as his bird remained airborne, "You've still got the same problem Hop. You can't reach my rookidee."

"True," Hop answered, "But I can make your rookidee come to me. Scamp, taunt em!"

The green simian began to hop about and make obnoxious noises while flapping its arms in a mocking way. Whatever it was saying in the language of pokémon seemed to ruffle the bird's feathers. It caused the rookidee to charge in without waiting for Victor, and it flew right into the grookey's Branch Poke attack.

"Oh no! Rookidee!" Victor cried out in surprise as his stunned pokémon toppled over on its side and Leon signaled a knockout.

"I'm not out of the fight just yet," Hop added proudly.

Victor recalled his bird and sent his second pokémon out, "Okay Hotspur. You're up!"

Hop growled as the two pokémon moved on each other, feinting and sizing each other up. Hop knew he was at a disadvantage now with their types. Before Hotspur could use his Ember, Hop called out, "Scamp! Go for the water! Don't let him get fired up!"

To Victor's surprise, Scamp ran into the scorbunny and both pokémon tumbled out of the arena, rolling down the shallow bank into the waters of the lake. Even Leon seemed surprised by the sudden turn and the humans watched as Hotspur and Scamp wrestled each other before breaking their grapple and scrambling back to the battlefield. Much to Hotspur's dismay, his fur was soaked and the water dampened his ability to generate a substantial amount of heat. Hop shouted, "You've got em now Scamp! Clock him with your stick!"

Victor looked on in concern as his partner scrambled to get dry and fire up, "Hotspur! Step it up and get ready to do what you did against the yamper!"

The scorbunny nodded in understanding and voiced an affirmative as it furiously jogged in place to generate some fire under its feet and dry off a little. The moment that the grookey was on top of him, Hotspur kicked up his feet and hit Scamp full in the face with a powerful (albeit subdued) Ember cloud. Both pokémon exchanged equal blows and fell backwards, toppling over in exhaustion.

Leon blinked in surprise as everyone present witnessed the double knockout with him. "Scorbunny and Grookey are unable to battle. Both sides are down to one each."

Hop snorted and tried to muster his confidence as he and Victor recalled their downed starters, "It'll be a close one. But that's exactly my sort of match! Rookidee, you're up!"

He tossed his last pokéballin as Victor did the same, "Come on Yamper! I know you can do it!"

As it emerged, Victor's yamper gave an excited bark and darted about as the rookidee began to harry it from above with peck attacks on Hop's orders. As yamper bounded about and generated sparks of electricity, Hop called out smugly, "Looks like the shoe's on the other foot Victor! I've got the advantage in the air. You can't touch me!"

"We'll just see about that," Victor answered as he recalled the battle against the wild rookidees in the woods. Once the electrical charge was pulsing around the puppy, Victor eyed his pokédex and called out, "Yamper, ground that bird like you did in the woods! Use your Thundershock!"

The yamper made a flying leap and discharged its electricity in a bright flare of light and static which made everyone's skin tingle for a moment. Hop's rookidee was caught in the blast and it hung transfixed in the air for a moment before it dropped to the ground unconscious.

"Wow! That was amazing!" Sonia finally called out from the sidelines as Champ agreed with a loud bark. Gloria jumped up giving a cheer with Gilly as she came to congratulate her two friends on their battle. As Victor's excited yamper scampered about and went to get some pets from Sonia, Victor walked across the small arena to shake Hop's hand. "Hey… that was actually a pretty good match. Nice job."

Hop shook Victor's hand and winced slightly, "Oof! Gutted that I lost, but I'd expect nothing less from my rival. The sting of defeat and joy of victory… I guess I have to start getting used to both, especially as we both get stronger, right?

"Victor? Hop? You didn't disappoint," Leon smiled proudly as he walked over, "That was a hell of a match and after seeing that, I suppose I have no choice but to endorse you both. Well done."

He reached into his cape and handed them both letters of endorsement that he had written the prior evening, "You both might be a little rough around the edges, but I can see you've got promise and spirit. If you can show yourselves to be as brave and quick on your feet as I've seen recently, then you might make a name for yourself in the league one day."

Leon turned to Gloria, "How about you Gloria? Would you like to take a shot as well? Maybe Sonia would agree to a practice battle."

Gloria hesitated and gave a sheepish look, "Oh... I appreciate the offer Leon, but I'm not sure. To be honest, I'm not totally sure I'm comfortable enough to battle just yet. I think my pokémon could use a little more training... plus Sonia's yamper vs my sobble would end in disaster."

Sonia offered a kind smile and placed a hand on Gloria's shoulder, "Don't worry, girl. I totally felt the same way you did when I was starting out. My advice? When you really feel ready and have a reason to fight, then go for it all the way!"

"Right. Thanks," Gloria said gratefully, "If you don't mind me asking... what was your reason?"

Sonia paused and glanced over to Leon who was off bantering with the boys nearby. She spoke quietly, "Maybe not what. But who..."

She was interrupted as Professor Magnolia ambled out into the garden using her cane. She took a look around and sighed in mild disappointment, "Oh? I missed the battle? That's a shame. I trust everything went well?"

"Yes Ma'am! Leon just gave us endorsements to compete in the league tournament!" Hop exclaimed waving his arms.

Magnolia smiled and reached into her pocket, "Ah, I see. Congratulations to you, but if you intend to compete, you're going to need an additional edge."

She produced three wristbands from her pockets with devices attached to them. Affixed the the center of the wristband devices were the wishing star stones that they had recovered in the woods. "I worked on these last night. These wristbands will help you Dynamax your pokémon, just as several of the elite trainers and Gym leaders do."

"Oh wow! This is totally ace!" Hop cheered as he, Victor, and Gloria put on their bands.

Gloria held up her wrist and gave an approving nod, "Very stylish too. I like it!"

Leon grimaced with a slightly uncomfortable look, "Professor? Are you sure that's a good idea giving these to the kids? I mean, they're good. But they're still kind of rookies too."

"Rubbish," Magnolia smiled as she waved Leon off, "You said it yourself the kids have potential. And after what they had done for that young lad and his missing skwovet, I'd say they earned it."

"I suppose you're right," Leon conceded as he watched Victor, Gloria, and Hop excitedly chatter among themselves and admire their new prizes, Maybe those things will bring them some luck after all."

* * *

After updating their pokedexes and thanking Professor Magnolia, the young trainers set off down Route 2 and headed back toward Wedgehurst. As Hop and Leon walked at the rear, Victor listened idly as Hop continued to chatter with excitement to his brother. Victor smiled and shook his head to himself a little before turning to Gloria. She seemed a little more subdued and walked quietly with a far-off look in her eyes. While she glanced over the riverside, she idly ran her finger along the stone of her new Dynamax Band. He cleared his throat and decided to cajole her a little.

"Hey. I thought I was supposed to be the one lost in their own head today."

Gloria blinked and looked back toward him, "Oh. Victor, sorry. Yeah, I probably deserved that jab there."

"Still thinking about the things you told me by the lake yesterday night?"

She shrugged, "Yeah. I guess so. At the very least, I'm really glad you and Hop got endorsed. And these Dynamax Bands are pretty sweet too."

"They are," Victor agreed with a smile, "But I have to give you some extra credit too for helping make this happen. You were the one who spurred us to take on those rookidees in the woods. Not to mention you helped me prepare for my battle with Hop. So, I really owe you one. Thank you."

Gloria returned his quiet smile with one of her own but their brief moment was interrupted as they heard a female voice calling from down the road. "Leon? Leon! There you are! Hello!"

Everyone stopped and watched as a familiar lass came hurrying down the path toward them. It was none other than Lauren Alcott who greeted them with a wave and a radiant smile. Leon raised a curious eyebrow while Victor and Hop both adopted slightly stupid grins on their faces upon seeing her. Gloria rolled her eyes and mumbled quietly under her breath in displeasure, "Oh bugger."

Lauren brushed some of her golden hair back over her shoulder letting the sunlight shine off it as she made her appearance, "Ah. Hello everyone. I heard Leon had set off down this way and I was hoping I could catch him. Leon Powers? I'm Lauren Alcott, an old classmate of your friends here."

"Nice to meet you Lauren. What can I do for you?" Leon asked politely.

Lauren produced a pokéball from the pocket of her preppy maroon blazer and gave a hopeful smile, "Actually, I was hoping I could earn your endorsement to compete in the Pokemon League. I'm interested in trying my hand at it this year."

"Hmm. Interesting." Leon mused as he crossed his arms thoughtfully and glanced briefly toward Gloria, "I do have one more letter of endorsement left to give away. Would you be willing to demonstrate your skill and power in a practice battle?"

"Oh, yes! Of course!" Lauren beamed, "I'm cute and strong, together in combination!"

"Good for you!" Hop added with a thumbs up, "Leon actually endorsed Victor and I just this morning when we had a battle."

Lauren stopped and gave the boys a curious look, "Is that so? Can I ask who won?"

"Oh... well, that would be me," Victor answered with a slightly bashful grin. Lauren turned to him and suddenly regarded Victor with a little more interest and appreciation. She gave a sweet smile and clasped his hand with hers.

"Really? That's very impressive Victor! I'd love it if you could help me. Maybe you could help offer me some pointers? Or maybe even battle me so Leon can judge my skill?"

Victor sputtered as he felt his face turn as red as his shirt, "I... uh... gee Lauren. I think..."

"I know what you're about to say and I think it's an excellent idea Victor," Gloria huffed as she stepped forward, "I'd love to battle Lauren for that letter of endorsement."

"What?" everyone said in surprise as they all turned to look at her.

"That's right. I mean what I said," Gloria replied feeling a sudden rush of bravado as she faced down Lauren. Hop began to speak but Victor clamped a hand over his mouth and stepped back while Leon looked on in amusement.

"You'd like to compete for the endorsement? Are you sure Gloria?"

She paused and looked at Lauren, then to back to Leon before she lost her nerve, "I... yes. I want to battle!"

Lauren gave a mild frown of disappointment before sizing Gloria up and adopting a new look. Having seemingly deemed her opponent to be inferior, Lauren regarded her with a cool confident smile and a slight hint of condescension in her voice. "Right then. Shall we get to it? I trust you have two pokémon to face mine?"

"Of course I do," Gloria said defensively as she readied herself for battle.

Everyone made room for an impromptu battle on the riverfront and the boys stood off to the side while the girls now faced each other down. As she watched Lauren prepare, Gloria cast a quick look over toward Victor. This was crazy. Sure, she had always found Lauren to be kind of stuck up and annoying. Seeing her shamelessly flirt with Victor and wrap him around her little finger was even more annoying. But it shouldn't have bothered her that much... should it? There wasn't a good reason to be goaded into a fight so quickly, right? She couldn't help but think back to what Sonia had said to her at the lake house. Maybe Gloria needed a little push to find a reason to compete. Maybe part of that reason wasn't a what, but a who. She decided to worry about that later and focus on the battle at hand.

Lauren gave an angelic smile and kissed the pokéball in her hand before tossing it forward, "All right! Nickit, make us proud!"

The pokéball opened and released the creature within, a small red fox with a big bushy tail and dark markings giving it the appearance of a bandit. Gloria pitched her own pokéball forward and called her own pokémon to the battlefield. "Let's do it, Bonnie!"

The pet wooloo of Gloria's family took the field and gave a bleating cry as it pawed the ground and braced itself. Gloria quickly pulled out her pokédex and looked over the abilities and moves common to the wooloos while she spoke some quiet words of encouragement to her pokémon, "Don't worry, girl. We can do this."

Lauren gave a haughty grin, "A fox versus its prey? Looks like a mismatch to me. Nickit, let em have your Quick Attack!"

The fox quickly darted forward with surprising speed and agility before it rammed into the wooloo knocking it backward. Fortunately, the sheep's heavy coat of wool cushioned the impact and absorbed most of the blow. Gloria winced and realized that she was indeed facing a speed disadvantage here, "Hang in there Bonnie! Stand your ground and get ready. We'll show Lauren not to underestimate us."

Lauren sniffed and continued to smirk, "We'll see about that McLeod. Nickit, attack again!"

As the fox darted forward and pounced, Gloria called out in reply, "Bonnie, tuck in and use your Defense Curl!"

The moment that the Nickit attacked, it ran into an impenetrable wall of wool as Bonnie curled up into a protective ball and used her fleece for protection. The Nickit pounced on the wooloo several times but it didn't do anything, frustrating both the fox and its trainer. Lauren frowned, "Well... that's rude. Nickit, hone your claws and get ready to attack again!"

Gloria watched in alarm as the Nickit stood atop the curled up wooloo and extended the claws from its paws, preparing to sharpen them and cut through the defenses of her pet. She decided to do as Victor and Hop did in certain situations and think on the fly. "Bonnie! Now's our chance! Throw that Nickit off and tackle it!"

To the little fox's surprise, Bonnie burst from her defensive ball and knocked the Nicket to the ground again. As Nickit landed and tried to regain its balance, the wooloo charged and used its momentum to slam into her enemy with a powerful rolling tackle that was at least strong enough to break a fence back home. The Nickit went tumbling backwards and staggered dizzily before fainting at the feet of its owner. Lauren blinked in surprise as Gloria hopped up in the air and cheered her wooloo along with Victor and Hop.

"All right Bonnie! That was a wicked tackle! You're the best!"

Lauren recalled her Nickit and kissed her next pokéball before calling her last pokémon, "All right Chewtle, dear. I'm counting on you!"

Gloria turned and focused her attention back on the newest foe seeing that it was a small blue turtle, most likely a Water-type. "I remember you talking that thing up. That's an awfully small turtle."

"Big things come in little packages," Lauren retorted as she saw Gloria order her wooloo to carry out another Tackle attack. As Bonnie rolled forward like a bowling ball, Lauren waved, "Chewtle, stop it with your Water Gun!"

To everyone's surprise, the little Chewtle fired a powerful spray of water like a firehose which halted the advance of Gloria's wooloo and sent it flying backwards. The impact of the counterattack knocked Bonnie dizzy and she fell to her knees in a daze forcing Gloria to call her back. Gloria did so and touched her pokéball to her cheek, "You did good out there lassie. I'm proud of you."

She pitched her other pokéball forward and gave a call, "Okay Gilly! Let's show em what you can do!"

The nervous little sobble took the field and faced down the mean looking turtle in front of it. It glanced back to Gloria for direction and encouragement prompting Lauren to smirk, "Your sobble looks a little gun-shy. He isn't afraid, is he?"

"Of course not!" Gloria fired back, "Don't listen to her Gilly! Time to show her what a brave lad you are! Pound it with your tail!"

Gilly attacked and swung its curled tail but the chewtle turtled up and curled into its shell to protect itself. After several failed attacks, Lauren called out to her pokémon to try another Water Gun. From within its shell, the chewtle fired a jet of water which hit Gilly full on and knocked him into the river. Gloria's eyes went wide in shock as she hurried over to the edge of the shallow bank, "Oh no! Gilly! Are you okay?"

"He's still not out of the fight just yet," Leon pointed out as the sobble floated in the water and began to blend in to its environment. "He's using his camouflage ability to turn invisible in the water."

Lauren frowned and ordered her pokémon forward, "Chewtle, go after that sobble and finish it off with your Bite attack!"

The turtle dove into the water and looked around but could not find its prey. By now, Gilly was more or less invisible in the water. Gloria checked her pokédex for a quick second before coming up with a new plan to finish the fight. She called out loudly to the water, "Okay Gilly, if you can hear me, then get ready to attack! Use your own Water Gun like a sniper and finish the battle!"

Underneath the water, Gilly mustered up all his courage and his strength to let loose one big burst of water in a concentrated attack. Lauren's chewtle never saw it coming as it was slammed by the overcharged Water Gun and blasted clean out of the water before landing in a stunned heap back on the river bank. Lauren looked on in surprise and alarm as she saw her knocked-out pokémon completely laid out from the critical hit while Gilly emerged from the water with a timid smile on its face.

"That's the match!" Leon called happily, "Chewtle is unable to battle. Sobble is the winner!"

Victor and Hop hurried down to congratulate Gloria as she scooped up her little sobble and gave it a big hug, "Oh Gilly, that was brilliant! I knew you had it in you!"

The sobble wore a big smile and curled into his trainer's arm as she cuddled him in praise. Meanwhile, Lauren gave a sigh and recalled her chewtle watching as the boys gathered around Gloria and excitedly praised her for her victory, "Hmm... are we cute and nothing more? It looks like our strength still has a way to go."

Once everyone gathered again on the road, Lauren sighed and offered a gracious hand to Gloria, "Well Gloria, it looks like you came out on top today so... congratulations."

Gloria looked in surprise before taking Lauren's hand and shaking it, "Oh? I... thanks. You did good too. Thanks for the battle."

"Now that's the kind of attitude I want to see in Galar's trainers!" Leon grinned as he stepped in happily, "Gloria, that was a very impressive battle. As promised, I have a letter of endorsement for you if you still want it."

She looked at the letter for a long moment before taking it with a smile, "Yes. Thank you Leon. I think I will."

Although Lauren was still disappointed about her loss, she tempered her expression and put on a calm smile, "Well done Gloria. Even if I can't compete this year, I'm still going to train hard. I plan to travel with my family to go see the tournament and I expect to see you there. I'm going to want a rematch in the future."

"All right. Deal," Gloria agreed.

Lauren nodded and then approached Victor with a sweet smile, "Good. And Victor? Congratulations on your win too. I'll plan to cheer for you so I expect you to win your next match in the tournament for me."

"Really? I mean, yes! Of course!" Victor stammered with a flushed face.

Before Gloria could chime in with a snippy comment, Leon threw an arm around Victor's shoulder and dragged him forward with Hop, "Right then! What are we waiting for? The registration deadline in Motostoke is in a couple days! Let's get back to Postwick and prepare to go on a trip! Come with me!"


	6. Trailblazers

The next morning, Victor, Gloria, and the Powers' boys all gathered at the Wedgehurst train station with their families. It seemed that several other residents of the town were also preparing to head to Motostoke to attend the pre-tournament events that were taking place. In a way, the residents of Wedgehurst and Postwick were fortunate to be right along the train line as that was historically one of the most direct and effective means of transportation in Galar. By now, the station was already bustling as a small crowd of people waited in line to get their train tickets. Among them, were the young trainers who were restless to board.

As she waited, Gloria's father gave a half hearted smile as he brushed some lint off his daughter's cap, "Gloria. We're very happy you got endorsed and want to compete in the league. We're so proud of you. But…"

"But you wish that I could stay and help on the farm right now?" Gloria guessed as she finished the sentence. "I know. I feel a little mixed about it too, but I think this could be a really good opportunity for me, you know?"

"We understand love," Mr. McLeod said giving her a loving little tap on the nose, "Just be careful, okay?"

"It'll be fine," she answered, "I've got Victor and Hop… oh, and Bonnie will look after me too!"

Nearby, Leon and Hop's parents fussed over their sons' well-being too while Victor hefted his traveling bag on his back. Ever the worrywart, his mother had insisted he take along some compact camping equipment just in case. Mrs. Bennett hugged her son and straightened the collar of a white jacket that he had put on over his red shirt, "Oh look at my boy… all grown up and headed off to a pokémon tournament. We're so proud of you!"

"Thanks Mum, but could you tone it down a little?" he hissed, "You're embarrassing me a little here."

"We know this will be an exciting opportunity for you," Mr. Bennett told his son, "And even though we know you'll be okay traveling with Leon, we just want to make sure you'll be safe and that this is what you really want to do."

After having established a bond with his scorbunny, fighting a few battles, and even getting a Dynamax Band, it seemed as if there was no reason not to go on such an adventure. The remote dream of winning the tournament and becoming a hero was appealing to Victor more and more. In a way, he admired Leon just as Hop did… looking up to him as an example of what a boy from a small town in Postwick could do. He had seen how noble Leon had remained and Victor even took some joy in doing a good deed along the way, like helping the youngster Benjamin and his skwovet in a time of need. It was certainly more fun than the idea of being Hop's sidekick and sparring partner.

"It'll be okay. I promise," Victor reassured them. "I'll be safe out there and do my best."

"Oh… well, I'll still miss you Victor," Mrs. Bennett grimaced.

Her husband put a reassuring hand on her shoulder, "Don't worry dear. He won't be gone too long. He'll just be away during the tournament season. Oh… and before I forget. Take this… a little pocket money just in case you need it."

"Thanks Dad," Victor said as he took the money and gave his father a grateful handshake. The unofficial motto of the Bennett family was to always be prepared and Victor liked to think that their foresight had rubbed off on him a little. Being ready and studying had served Victor well in his recent pokémon battles and he hoped that if he could get somewhere in the tournament because of that, then that would be a nice little tribute to his family as well.

After paying for the tickets and saying their goodbyes, the four trainers prepared to queue into the departure gate while passengers from another train filtered out to arrive in the lobby of the Wedgehurst station. Among those new arrivals was a young fair haired man in a purple coat. He carried himself with an imperious air and wrinkled his nose in slight displeasure at the quint backwater train station around him. It was a far cry from the sleek, modern, and sometimes sterile aesthetics of transportation in the capital of Wyndon. He gave a sigh and jostled his way through the crowd, pushing past a few people and shouldering aside Hop who was standing near the line.

Hop immediately scowled and turned to face the person who had shoulder-checked him out of the way, "Hey! What's your problem? You think you own the whole station or something?"

The young man in the purple coat stopped and turned with a slight trace of irritation, "I beg your pardon? Are you actually talking to me?"

"You'd better believe it, Goldilocks, " Hop answered as he balled his fists and stood his ground, "Where I'm from, we have manners and we apologize to people when we bump into them."

The boy in purple gave a sneer and turned his nose up toward Hop, "You've got a lot of nerve taking that attitude with me. Do you even know who I am?"

Before Hop could shoot his mouth off with an insult, Leon immediately stepped in and put a restraining hand on his brother's shoulder, "My apologies Bede. I'm afraid he doesn't. He didn't mean anything."

"What are you talking about?" Hop exclaimed in outrage, "This guy right here is acting like a real tosser!"

Leon silenced hop with a sharp frown, "Hold your tongue Hop. You're talking to the adopted son of the League Chairman."

Victor and Gloria froze and stood in surprised silence while Leon smoothed the situation over, "Bede, this is my younger brother Hop. I'm sorry if there was any misunderstanding. He didn't mean to offend."

Bede regarded Hop with a smug sneer before looking to Leon, "Coming from the league's champion, I guess I can let it slide this time. I'm in a generous mood. I assume you're headed to Motostoke for the opening of the tournament?"

"We are," Leon answered with a level tone, "You aren't attending?"

"I'm here on more important business for the Chairman," Bede said officiously as he gave a dismissive look toward Victor and Gloria, "But that's all I can share with you."

It was a fortunate thing that he didn't pay the new trainers much interest, otherwise he would have noticed the Dynamax Bands on their wrists that came from the wishing stars. Bede swept back some of his golden locks and began to walk off, "I'd advise you all to stay out of my way, but I will wish you luck at the tournament Leon."

The trainers watched him leave and waited until he was out of earshot before victor muttered sarcastically, "Hmm. What a delightful chap."

Hop grumbled in frustration as he looked to his brother, "What the heck Leon? Why were you sucking up to that primped up git? You're the League Champion! He should be showing you some respect!"

"There are politics involved in the league, Hop. Sometimes as the Champion, you have to play ball with people you don't like, even if he is the Chairman's son."

Gloria wrinkled her brow and mused aloud, "Still... I wonder what a big-shot like him is doing here in our little town."

"Who knows?" Victor shrugged, "Let's get moving before we miss our train."

As the group headed off and made their way up the boarding platform to the waiting train, they were surprised when they heard a woman's voice calling after them, "Hey! Wait up everyone! Don't leave without me!"

Victor turned and raised a curious eyebrow when he saw a familiar plume of reddish hair hurry to catch up with them, "Sonia? You're coming along too?"

The young woman jogged over to greet them while lugging her travel bag, "Yeah, I decided at the last minute to go to Motostoke too. There's something I want to look into there for a research project... plus, my gran might have gotten on me a little bit to get out there and do something worthwhile. I hope you don't mind if I tag along with you guys for a bit, do you?"

Leon hesitated a moment before offering a welcoming smile, "Sure. Why not? It'll be like old times, right Sonia?"

"Great!" she exclaimed with a bright smile as she handed over all her travel bags to Leon to carry, "I have a great feeling about this trip already!"

Leon gave a sigh and reluctantly followed after her carrying the bags while the younger trio fell in line and boarded the train, feeling a little bit of reluctance to leave their homes, but also a little bit of excitement about the promise of adventures waiting ahead.

* * *

After having left the station, the group of friends from Postwick settled in and made themselves comfortable for the long train ride across the region toward the city of Motostoke. As they rode the train, some of the trainers who were present decided to kill some time by letting some of their smaller pokémon out to keep them company. Leon and Hop had decided to go off to the dining car of the train to get a snack, all while being mobbed by other trainers who wanted to greet The Champion or get photos and autographs. Meanwhile, Victor sat with Sonia and Gloria in the passenger car passing some time. Gloria put in some earbuds and leaned her head back on the cushion to nap while listening to music. Similarly, her sobble Gilly did the same and curled up on her lap to sleep peacefully as well.

As she dozed, Victor relaxed beside her paging through a magazine about the Galar region. He flipped another page and pointed to some pictures while his own scorbunny bounced restlessly in his lap. "Hey look at this Hotspur. This is where we're going... the city of Motostoke. Pretty cool, huh?"

Hotspur perked his ears up and peeked over at some photos of a city which sported old architectural design motifs from Galar's Industrial Age. Large moving gears and cogs were integrated into the aesthetics of some buildings along with pistons that were steam powered. At its center was a large clock tower and the arena for its local Pokemon League events. Although the city was relatively modern now, it still retained its old character, remaining as a major hub for manufacturing and industry within Galar. Hotspur looked to Victor and gave a curious chitter so his trainer answered using his best instinctive guess about what the pokémon was saying.

"Yeah, I know what you mean buddy. It doesn't look like there's as much trees and grass there either. Not like back home in Postwick, right?"

Hotspur reached over with his paws and didn't wait for Victor to finish reading the article as he began to flip pages and look for more interesting pictures. Victor simply let his hyperactive scorbunny have his way with the magazine and shook his head. As Victor stroked his pokémon's fur he glanced up and saw Sonia sitting across on the opposite seats of the passenger car. She was reading a large book while her yamper snoozed at her ankles. "A little bit of light reading there, Sonia?"

She paused and looked up from her book to give a quiet chuckle, "Oh, this? I don't know about light. I brought along some books about Galar history and mythology to study while I'm traveling."

"You said you were doing some kind of independent research project, right?"

Sonia nodded, "Yeah. When we spoke the other day and you mentioned that strange encounter in the Slumbering Weald, it got me thinking about some things. Most of all, I was curious about the strange wolf creature you saw. I'm thinking it might have some kind of connection to pokémon of old."

"Like some kind of legendary pokémon?" Victor asked in surprised.

Sonia smiled, "Exactly. The old legends about the Hero of Galar talk about him being accompanied by two mystical pokémon. I need to do more research on the subject though and I know there are some places in Galar that have books or artifacts from that time. Hopefully I can figure out some kind of connection to it all."

Victor thought it over for a moment and shrugged, "Well, it sounds like an interesting idea. I'm sure Professor Magnolia would be thrilled if you did dig something up."

"That's the plan anyway. I've got quite a few challenges ahead," Sonia said before pointing over to him with a smile, "And by the looks of it, it seems you've got a couple yourself."

Victor looked down to see his scorbunny had wandered off and was now rooting around in some of their bags to look for a snack. Unfortunately, Victor couldn't move either as Gloria drifted over and started leaning on his shoulder while she was sleeping. The sounds of quiet snoring came from her nose, even while Gilly remained peacefully dozing in her lap. Victor poked his friend's cheek a few times and gave up as she continued to snore, "Well, looks like I'm stuck here."

"I'll get Hotspur for you," Sonia offered as she got up and put her book down, "We've still got a few hours by train to the next stop so you might as well get comfortable."

Victor thanked her and gave a sigh as he was left alone watching the green rolling hills of Galar fly by outside. He didn't have the heart to wake Gloria right now, and after all the whirlwind events of the last few days, maybe taking it slow and relaxing would be a nice change of pace... even for a few more hours. He looked at Sonia's book which lay on the table in front of him and after a long moment, his curiosity finally won out. He reached over, picked up the book, and began to read.

* * *

A few quiet hours had passed when the passengers noticed that their train had suddenly began to slow down. Hop was the first one to the windows to get a better look while Victor gently shook Gloria awake. "Hey... what's going on? We're pulling into a train station already?"

"Except this isn't Motostoke," Leon noted with a confused frown, "I might not be great with directions, but I even know something is unusual here."

As the train reduced speed more and pulled into the next station, everyone on board could see that it wasn't a large metropolitan stop. One of the signs read 'Trailhead Station' and that there was still a fair degree of green fields and forests around the area. Gloria checked a map that she had on her and called over to her friends, "Well, we aren't in Motostoke, but it looks like we're at the last stop before reaching the outer limits of the city."

Sonia nodded in agreement, "I actually know the area a little. Gram and I would go on some camping trips this way when I was younger. There's a large wilderness preserve here and many hikers and outdoors-men like to visit this place. There's a hiking trail leading into the city, but it cuts through a lot of the wilderness."

"Maybe, but that still doesn't explain the unscheduled stop," Gloria noted, "Hopefully they'll give us more information at the station?"

Once the train reached the platform, the passengers disembarked there and were gathered in the small arrival terminal. One of the train conductors was standing on a box trying to get everyone's attention as he spoke over the muttering of the crowd, "Excuse me, everyone! Can I get your attention, please? We've stopped at Trailhead Station due to an unexpected problem. The recent energy crisis is now affecting parts of Motostoke and the surrounding areas. There have been temporary power shortages and energy surges."

"But what does that have to do with the trains?" Hop asked aloud.

The conductor grimaced, "The recent energy shortages have caused switching problems for the train tracks leading into the city. Our engineers are working on it, but there's no telling how long it will take. For now, the whole train line will be shut down."

There were shocked gasps and angry outbursts from many of the other trainers who had also been on board. A chorus of angry voiced filled the station "What? What do you mean the trains are shut down? The tournament is starting in a few days and we're stranded here?"

"Oh no! What are we going to do?" Gloria exclaimed in dread, "We don't have a lot of extra time to just sit and wait! We might miss registration! Leon, is there anything you can do? Maybe call in a favor or something?"

He shook his head, "I'm afraid not. Even if I could, it wouldn't get us to Motostoke any faster."

Victor turned and looked out the windows of the station toward some of the fields beyond. He hesitated, but finally decided to pitch another idea, "What if we try to go on foot?"

Gloria stopped and looked at him in surprise, "Victor? Are you mad?"

Victor wrinkled his features slightly, "I know it might sound a little crazy, but it's doable. Sonia said there's a hiking trail leading directly to Motostoke from here. She also said she knows a thing or two about camping so if it takes us a day or two on foot, we'll still be able to make it on time."

Leon smiled and scratched his chin as he considered it but Hop pumped a fist, "That sounds like a great idea Victor! But you're forgetting the biggest plus. This area will be sure to have tons of wild pokémon to catch! Maybe we'll be able to get some really powerful ones, you know?"

Gloria seemed a little uneasy but tapped the large backpack Victor was carrying, "Well, we do have some camping gear so that's something at least. Plus, we don't have to wait up for all these other stranded trainers here."

Leon grinned and crossed his arms as he looked to his peer, "Well Sonia? What do you say? Care to lead a little camping expedition?"

Sonia blinked in surprise and then looked to the hopeful faces of the younger trainers before finally relenting, "Well... I guess it couldn't hurt. And I guess I could use the exercise too. Sure, why not?"

The group pushed through the mobbed train station and finally made it out the door. As they left the station, they could see the entrance to the hiking trail opening up just ahead. To the south there was a small village that hikers and tourists could stay to rest but north was the direction that the group was headed. Despite leading toward the unknown, the entrance to the trail looked to be wooded and slope down gently into some fields. Victor scanned the horizon and saw the distant skyline of Motostoke giving them a reference point, "Well, at least the weather and the scenery looks pretty nice for our trip."

"Except for some of these trees," Hop commented as he studied the bark of some nearby trees planted near the station, "These old things look awful."

Gloria rolled her eyes and pointed out in the distance across the miles of wooded meadowlands, "I'd actually be more worried about navigating through all that."

Everyone looked out across the landscape to see dense copses of trees and some winding streams cutting through the region. Leon smiled a little to himself, "Well, nothing ventured nothing gained... but I still think we should all be careful. Don't you agree Hop?"

Everyone stopped and looked as the younger Powers brother had already begun jogging down the trail with an excited wave, "Come on everyone! What are you waiting for? Let's go catch some pokémon and get to Motostoke!"

Gloria looked to Victor for some input but he simply shook his head with a resigned sigh and began walking after his friend, "I guess it's settled. Come on Gloria. Let's go make sure that idiot doesn't knock over a beedrill nest or get himself killed."

With that, the group set off on foot across the wilderness preserve. It was their hope that they could use this as a chance to not only blaze a new trail on the landscape, but to hopefully blaze a new one as well at the start of the upcoming league tournament.


	7. Into the Wild

It had been several hours since the trainers had departed from Trailhead Station as they made their way down the dirt path on foot. After several hours on a cramped train, the wide open landscape and the fresh air was a welcome change while they traversed some fields and wooded hills. Although everyone in their group had grown up accustomed to the gently rolling hills of rural Wedgehurst, they found the going a little slower and harder with the more wild and rugged terrain. At the head of the party, Hop wiped his brow and gave a tired sigh, "Phew... this is more of a workout than I thought it would be."

"You're telling me," Victor muttered as he and Leon and lugged the majority of the heavier camping gear, "At least we're not sitting stranded at the train station."

Gloria cast a sympathetic look his way before looking ahead and trying to survey the land, "Kind of seems like a trick of the eyes, huh? We've been hiking for a couple hours and while I can see the skyline of Motostoke, it doesn't look like we've gotten any closer."

"Even worse," Hop groused, "It looks like we haven't come across any wild pokémon worth catching out in these fields."

"I think we have a more important problem," Leon said gesturing to the skies. By now it was nearing late afternoon and the sun was beginning to make its downward arc in the blue skies above, "We're going to start running out of daylight in a few hours. We're going to have to find a spot to camp out for the night. Sonia, what do you think?"

The elder of the two girls in their group looked up from a map she was studying as they walked, "Oh? Sorry... yeah, you're right Leon. I was thinking there might be a good spot just up ahead. It's a little out of the way, but according to the map it should be a decent place to hunker down."

The younger trio all exchanged a curious look and shrugged before Victor hefted his load again, "All right. Lead the way! The sooner I can put this junk down, the better!"

The group traveled for another hour before they came to a flat grassy plain marked by a small riverbend. Even more curious was another terrain feature added to the out-of-the-way path they had traveled. Spreading out from one part of the riverbank was a large stretch of old ruins. The crumbling stone structures looked to be the remains of some old homes, fortifications, and even a church dating back to probably the medieval days of Galar. Many of the ruins were moss covered and overgrown giving them a strange natural beauty, but also a sense of mystery and melancholy.

"Wow... what is this place?' Gloria asked in wonder noticing how quiet and secluded the place was.

Sonia tapped the large book she carried, "If I'm reading this History of Galar book correctly, this is what was once the town of Thistlebury from back in the Middle Ages."

"All right... that's not ringing any bells for me," Hop chimed in impatiently, "What's so important about this place that you wanted to come here?"

Sonia glanced at the ruins with a quiet frown before speaking with a quiet solemnity in her voice, "Look around everyone... this place is believed to have once been a large successful settlement in its time. That is of course until the Darkest Day happened."

"But those are just old myths and legends, right?" Victor asked uneasily.

"How do you explain that strange pokémon and the ruins you found in the Slumbering Weald?" Sonia countered, "I think it might be worth it to try and figure out what happened here. How it may have been been cursed during the Darkest Day, and why it never recovered."

Gloria stared incredulously at her, "So you suggested we camp out near an ancient ghost town for the night?"

Leon interrupted and tried to distract the younger trainers with some positivity, "It's not like we have much choice now. Besides, the place looks safe enough and I'll have Charizard stand guard. He won't let anything get by."

The three younger trainers didn't look entirely convinced but didn't see the point of protesting any further. As the sun dipped low and early evening set in, the trainers set up a tent for the girls as the boys decided to sleep outside. Sonia went to work preparing a curry dish for dinner along with wild berries as a side while Leon set up a campfire. By now, the others had let out some of their pokémon to relax and play near the campground. Once Leon piled the wood together, Hotspur kicked up a few embers from his feet and lit the tinder allowing for a warm fire and a means to cook. Nearby, the trainers' wooloo grazed on some grass while their yampers wrestled each other and rolled around.

Later in the evening, everyone finished their meal and sat back with contented stomachs to relax and enjoy the mild evening. Darkness had set in over the fields and a pale half moon now revealed itself in the night skies. Victor looked up at the moon thoughtfully and let his mind drift back to that wolf pokémon he saw in the weald. He wondered if that creature was one to howl at the moon, or if it even cared. His attention was pulled back to the campground as Gloria gave a sigh and lowered her phone to her lap with a look of dismay, "Hmm... that's a little discouraging. There's no phone signal out here."

"That's okay. We can always entertain ourselves the old fashioned way," Hop said as he bounced his grookey Scamp in his lap, "When Leon and I would go camping in the past, we'd tell stories, especially creepy ones to try and scare each other."

"Oh geez Hop," I don't know if that's a great idea with those old ruins nearby," Victor said shifting uncomfortably before Gloria elbowed him with a giggle.

"Are you scared of ghost pokémon lurking around? Because you've been afraid of them ever since we were little kids."

Victor crossed his arms with a defensive huff, "Gloria! Knock it off. I'm not scared!"

"Suuuure," she teased as she handed his scorbunny to him, "Good thing you have Hotspur to protect you now. Can you keep an eye on him for me, Hotspur?"

The scorbunny gave an exaggerated salute and hopped up onto his owner's shoulders while everyone had a laugh at Victor's expense. Leon looked across the fire and reclined, "Well Sonia? How about it? You have any stories in that book of yours?"

The professor's assistant tapped her chin thoughtfully and looked to the group to tell the trainers and their pokémon a story. She smirked and lowered her voice to speak in a foreboding tone, "Well... there are some stories about this former town of Thistlebury. During the time of the Darkest Day, it was said the skies turned black and the sun was blotted out across the region. The only light that could be seen was by that of the terrible dragon Eternatus and the fire in the skies. It was said that in his wake, the dragon rained his small stones of fire and energy down across the land, bathing those spots in hellish red light and cursing those who came near."

"Those sound a little like those wishing stars to me," Victor chimed in as he touched his Dynamax Band on his wrist.

Sonia gave a dark smile, "Maybe. It's true that we know a little more about the Dynamax phenomenon and the effects of the stones' radiation, but perhaps there was something different about them while in the shadow of Eternatus. Perhaps something changed after the Hero's triumph. To many that came before, they say those wishing stones carried great power but at a terrible cost. The stones which blighted the land brought curses and mayhem, darkening its users' souls... until the Hero turned back the darkness.

The other trainers gulped and gave uneasy looks to their wristbands, wondering if there was indeed some kind of ancient corrupting magic within them. Gloria asked in a shaky voice, "So what about Thistlebury? What happened to it?"

Sonia shrugged, "No one knows for certain. Some say one of those dark stones fell here and brought ruin to the town. Others say it cursed the people and that they still linger here, guarding their dark treasure within the ruins."

Then she suddenly smiled brightly and laughed, "Or, you know... maybe the whole thing is just a load of baloney. Who knows? Good night everyone!"

Everyone else sat feeling a shadow of dread hang over them as they looked at the possibly haunted ruins in the near distance. While the humans looked on, Scamp snuck up from behind and gave Gilly's tail a playful tug, startling the little blue sobble as it curled up next to Gloria on a log for protection. Gilly jumped a foot and let out a yelp before it started to cry and sob. Gloria scooped up her bawling pokémon and hurriedly tried to comfort him while trying not to succumb to the sobble's natural ability to make others cry too.

"Hop! Keep your grookey under control! He shouldn't be teasing Gilly like that!"

"Aw come on Gloria. Don't be mad," Hop said picking up the little monkey, "He's just playing around and having a bit of fun. He didn't mean any harm."

Gloria sighed and headed off to her tent to soothe her crying sobble while Sonia went to join her, "Well... I think that's enough for one night. We'll see you boys tomorrow."

As Hop walked away to set up his sleeping bag, Victor took one more suspicious look toward the nearby ruins, still thinking about the dark legend Sonia had told. Leon tossed another log on the fire and gave a reassuring smile before calling his pokémon, "Nothing to be spooked over Victor. It was just a story... and Charizard is here. Right buddy?"

The large dragon pokémon snorted some embers and gave a low growl of agreement to its owner. "See? Everything will be fine. Now come on. Let's turn in and get some rest. We have a long walk ahead of us tomorrow."

* * *

It had been a few hours after the trainers had settled in for the night. The camp had grown quiet save for the crackling light of the fire and everyone slept peacefully with Charizard vigilantly watching over the group. As the campfire radiated its warm light, it cast dancing shadows over the ground which Charizard became aware of when it saw a shadow on the edge of the camp seem to move. The dragon pokémon turned its head and bared its claws, scanning for any signs of intruders when there was more movement from the other side of its peripheral vision. Charizard whipped around and swung its flaming tail out, trying to cast more light as if it were using a torch. It spotted more movement and turned around, wondering if something had just run past it from behind.

The unnerved dragon let out a low roar to raise the alarm as some shadows seemed to creep in closer from the edge of the campground. Victor was the first to wake up and he looked about with bleary eyes. To his surprise and alarm, he saw what looked to be many eyes peering out in the darkness around them. His heart froze and he wondered if they were people, or creatures, or even... ghosts. By now, Leon and Hop were waking up and trying to orient themselves while their charizard flailed around, "Bloody hell... what's going on now?"

"Hey? What's with all the noise out here?" Gloria called in annoyance as she poked her head out of the girls' tent and looked around. She saw something dark scurry by and she jumped back into the tent with a startled cry, "Eeep!"

Leon's charizard swung its tail about and decided it had finally had enough of these phantoms. It sucked in a deep breath and blew out a large plume of fire which lit up the entire camp giving the trainers a good look at the nocturnal intruders. In the dim light, they saw that the eyes in the darkness did not come from ghosts, monsters, or robbers, but from a pack of zigzagoons. The creatures resembled a cross between a raccoon and a badger and their black patches of fur helped to camouflage them under the cover of night.

"What are they doing here?" Victor shouted in surprise as a zigzagoon bounded over him and knocked some camping gear over.

Leon waved his cape around and tried to ward the wild pokémon off, "Look out! These guys are raiding the camp!"

Sure enough, another group of zigzagoons who weren't running about and causing chaos were busy rummaging through the trainers' supplies looking for food or interesting objects. There was another loud crash as the thieving pokémon snatched Hop's backpack and took off into the night toward the ruins. Hop jumped to his feet and grabbed his pokéballs before running after the intruders, "Hey! That's mine! Get back here you!"

Gloria and Sonia now joined the others and spotted Hop run off into the night, "Hop? Where are you going?"

Gloria took a deep breath and ran off in the same direction as Hop into the ruins, "Hey! Wait up! I'm coming to help!"

With the campsite already under attack from the pack of zigzagoons, Leon rallied Victor and Sonia to him, "We'll worry about Hop and Gloria in a minute. First we've got to fight off these little bandits!"

Sonia nodded along with Victor and they tossed their pokéballs into the fray calling out their yamper and scorbunny, "All right Champ and Hotspur... let's get to work!"

Meanwhile, Hop and Gloria stumbled blindly through the dark ruins and undergrowth after the zigzagoons who had taken the backpack. Although the trainers did not bring flashlights on their chase, they used the light of the moon above to find their way and to keep an eye on the bandits. They watched the wild pokémon bound over a low stone wall and into some rubble where they likely had a stash or a den. In his rush, Hop jumped too quickly and fell over the low wall, toppling face-first to the ground.

"Hop, you have to slow down and be careful," Gloria chided her friend as she helped him back to his feet, "Come on. Those robbers just dove into that rubble over there and..."

She stopped and stared in surprise as some rubble was moved and a red glow began to emanate from the stash. The trainers noticed their wristbands resonate for a moment and glow before the light from the den grew brighter, rising into the air in a column of light. Both trainers took cover behind the low wall and watched as the pile of rubble and stones burst apart and a giant zagzagoon emerged. Hop's mouth hung open in shock, "No way..."

"Did that thing just naturally dynamax itself?" Gloria gasped in equal amazement.

Amid the column of red light from the ground, emanating like a font, the giant zigzagoon pounded its paws into the ground and let out a loud cry.

Hop pulled out his pokéball and called Scamp to the field before standing up to face the giant pokémon, "All right big guy... Scamp and I aren't afraid of you."

The grookey armed itself with its stick and gave a less than confident murmur while Gloria pulled Hop back. "Hop? What in blazes are you doing?"

"I'm going to catch it!" Hop insisted, "That zigzagoon still has my stuff, and we can't let that giant pokémon go on a wild rampage. Scamp, let's go!"

The little grookey dashed forward and leapt on his opponent wielding his stick. Scamp screeched and battered the giant pokémon's forearm with his stick before clambering up its fur when it swiped it paws. Both trainers ducked behind the low wall as the flailing zigzagoon kicked up clouds of dirt and smashed apart some stone ruins sending the resulting shrapnel everywhere. The giant zigzagoon howled in anger as the grookey whacked it in the side of the head with its stick before it shook its shoulders violently and threw Scamp off of it. Scamp tumbled to the dirt in a stunned heap causing Hop to rush over in alarm, "Oh no! Hold on little guy. I've got you!"

Hop scooped up his grookey in his arms and began to carry him back to safety but the giant zigzagoon smashed its clawed paw on the ground nearby throwing Hop end over end. As he rolled to the mossy dirt protecting Scamp, Hop looked up in fear as the giant monster bore down on him with a snarl. Just then a jet of water sprayed from the sideline and hit the giant in the face, momentarily blinding him.

"Nice shot Gilly! Hit em with another Water Gun!" Gloria called, encouraging her sobble as they stood in defense of their friends. Hop got up and rushed clear as the giant was driven back by another spray of water.

"Phew... thank Gloria. I owe you one," Hop sighed as he rejoined her, "Both you and Gilly."

"You can thank me later," she said quickly as she grabbed her sobble and pulled back, "We can't stand and fight that thing. We have to get out of here!"

Too late. The zigzagoon wiped its eyes and focused on its enemies while preparing to charge. Moments later, it recoiled and howled as a lightning attack struck its paw. Gloria and Hop turned in surprise to see Sonia and Victor join in to help while Leon swooped in riding his charizard. The dragon blew a gout of fire to blind the giant before sweeping by and grabbing the two kids.

"Leon! You saved us!" Hop cheered while Gloria clung to her hat and the bottom of her skirt, "You're the best!"

"We're not done yet," Leon said tensely as they circled around and watched the battle below. He noticed the red fountain of dynamax energy and called to Victor below, "Victor! Get near the light! Use the wristband!"

Victor leapt clear as the zigzagoon rampaged again and hammered a paw down on the ruins he was standing near. The trainer dove clear and rolled to his feet so that he could rush toward the red light streaming upward. "Hotspur, follow me! Let's go!"

The scorbunny followed his trainer, bounding over some rubble and darting across the ground until they reached the well of light. Victor held out his wristband and looked at it hesitantly, "Okay... what now?"

To his surprise, the wishing star in his wristband resonated and glowed before Victor recalled his scorbunny to his pokéball. As the Dynamx Band flared, Victor decided to follow his instincts and do what the elite trainers on television did during their league matches. The pokéball glowed with light and expanded to the size of a beach ball until victor hurled it clear and opened up its contents. In a spectacular nimbus of light and dynamax energy, the ball gave way and opened to release Hotspur, only this time the scorbunny had grown to a giant size as well.

"All right! You did it!" Sonia cheered nearby while Hotspur began to bounce on his feet, kicking up large rocks and making the ground shake.

"Whoah! Easy does it buddy!" Victor called desperately as he tried to rein in his colossal unruly pokémon, "Go after the zigzagoon, but be careful where you step!"

The earth shook again as the aggressive zigzagoon charged forward and tackled Hotspur knocking them both to the ground. Amid the tangle of giant pokémon, Hotspur surprised his foe with a new improvised move, a Double Kick. He lashed his powerful legs one after the other and smashed his attacker in the chin, knocking it off him and breaking their grapple. The wild pokémon gave a loud growl and shook off the blows before lashing out with its claws to kick up a large cloud of dirt in the scorbunny's face.

As the zigzagoon charged forward to ram its enemy with a headbutt, Victor shouted out to his scorbunny, "Hotspur! Hit him with a fire attack! Any one you've got!"

Hotspur wiped his eyes and evaded his attacker by leaping over the zigzagoon. While in midair, Hotspur generated a burst of heat and fire from his foot which he kicked back at the enemy in what looked to be a giant sizzling flare. The maximized firebolt hit the zigzagoon dead-on and blasted it to the ground, all while lighting up the entire battlefield and warming the air with searing heat. Just as Hotspur landed, the dynamax effect gave out, reverting him back to his miniature size while the defeated zigzagoon also shrunk back to normal as well. No sooner had the wild pokémon been bested, Victor hurled an empty pokéball and snared the zigzagoon, hoping to capture it.

As Charizard landed to the ground with Leon, Gloria, and Hop, everyone watched as the pokéball wobbled out and hopped up from the ground a few times while the stubborn zigzagoon struggled inside. Finally, the ball's light went out and the sphere came to a rest, signalling the wild zigzagoon had finally been captured and tamed. Victor breathed a deep sigh of relief as he held up the capture ball, "Phew... that was one tough bugger."

"That was awesome! I'm so jealous you actually got to dynamax your pokémon!" Hop exclaimed as Hotspur bounced up into Victor's arms.

"Thanks mate, you really came through and saved us just now," Victor said hugging his little rabbit pokémon.

Leon turned to his younger brother and frowned, "I hope you learned not to go running off into danger by yourself. You could have gotten hurt tonight if the rest of us didn't drive off those other zigzagoons."

"Yeah... but luckily it turned out all right, didn't it?" Hop replied sheepishly as he recovered his stolen backpack on the ground.

By now, the beam of dynamax energy from the den had faded out leaving behind an inert hole that the pokémon were using as a stash. Sonia sifted through some of the junk in there before pulling free a familiar wishing star stone which had seemingly burned out just now."

"Look here," she said examining it, "This is interesting. Could this fragment of a stone have caused the dynamax effect just now?"

"The zigzagoons must have found it and stashed it here," Gloria agreed, "But... how long has it been here?"

Sonia studied the rock, "It's hard to tell, but it looks pretty old. Maybe I can take it to a researcher in Motostoke for more information. If it's as old as I think... maybe it's part of the old stories surrounding Thistlebury here."

"Well, I think I've had enough of legends, ghosts, and wild pokémon one night," Leon said with a tired yawn as he waved for his charizard to join him, "Let's get back to camp and clean up. We'll have to be up early if we want to make it to Motostoke tomorrow."

As the group left the grounds and the remains of the giant pokémon battlefield, Victor stopped and took one last look back at the old stone ruins. Perhaps one old mystery was closer to being solved, but it hammered home another point. Whatever happened on the Darkest Day had brought an end to this town and with the looming worry of the Galar energy crisis, it was possible there would be another Darkest Day... albeit a different kind. For tonight at least, those ruins would serve as an ominous reminder of what happened in the past and the dangers of what certainly lay ahead in the future.

* * *

**A/N: Happy New Years to everyone and anyone still following along. Coming up, the group arrives at Motostoke to enter the league tournament, but not before Gloria will add a new member to her own team. Who that will be, you'll just have to wait and find out in the next update coming soon! :)**


	8. Chance Encounters

After their hectic night, the trainers awoke early to strike their camp and continue their long trek across the meadowlands toward Motostoke. The skies were gray and overcast and it was nearing midday by the time the group came within a few miles of Motostoke's limits. They had been trudging up the long winding dirt path for hours and opted not to take any breaks to make up for lost time. They could see the old outer gates of the city rise up before them and bid them welcome like they were the travelers of old who visited during the Middle Ages. Unfortunately, a light rain began to fall hindering the travelers further. Sonia gave a moan of dismay and used her trenchcoat to shield her hair from the rain, "Oh crap! We're stuck out here in the storm and we were so close! What else is going to go wrong next?"

"Tell me about it," Hop agreed unhappily as he gave a yawn, "I barely got a decent sleep last night. Hey Victor, haven't you got an umbrella or two in that bag of yours?"

Victor grimaced slightly and shook his head, "Sorry everyone. It looks like those zigzagoons made off with some of our gear."

"Well at least you got something out of it," Gloria muttered as she tried to shake some water off her cap, "I have yet to catch a new pokemon for myself."

Leon called over, "Don't speak too soon Gloria. You might get your chance after all. Look!"

Everyone followed the direction Leon was pointing and turned to look at a tall patch of grass just off the main road. As they neared they saw the grasses rustle and sway suggesting that something was lurking there. To everyone's surprise Gloria stepped forward to investigate. Victor called out a warning to his friend, "Gloria... be careful. Maybe we should get back on the path and..."

"No Victor," she interrupted with a quick wave, "I want to find out what it is. This one is mine."

The boys exchanged surprised looks with each other and stayed back to help if necessary. Gloria crept closer and peered through the light rain and dim light to try and get a better look into the grass. She spoke quietly to herself, "Steady Gloria... you've got this. It's not a dynamax pokémon. How hard can be, right?"

To her surprise the grasses rustled again and a small vulpine pokémon peeked its head out to look at her. The small red fox studied her with a curious look and slowly padded out revealing itself to be a vulpix. Judging by the way she carried herself, it looked like she was keeping her guard up. Normally, most animals went for either a fight or flight response. It looked like this one was going to stand her ground and fight. Gloria smiled to herself, "Just the kind of tough girl I want on my team."

The female trainer tossed a pokéball forward and called her starter to the field, "Come on Gilly! You're up!"

The little blue sobble planted his feet and stared down the vulpix before it saw her suck in some air and spit a plume of fire at him. Gilly quickly scrambled sideways, evading the attack while Gloria jumped out of the way in alarm to keep her own skirt for getting burnt. "Ack! Gilly, move in and strike back! You've got an advantage here!"

The sobble hurried forward and swung its tail around in a Pound attack, but halted as the attack missed and the vulpix momentarily disappeared from sight. Moments later, the wild vulpix seemingly darted from nowhere and slammed Gilly with a swift body blow. Before Gilly could counterattack, the vulpix darted away and hit him again from behind. Victor watched in dismay as he used his pokédex to scan the vulpix, "Damn... that thing is fast! Gloria, watch it! The vulpix has a deadly Quick Attack!"

"I know!" she called in frustration, "I thought the type match up would work, but I need a way to protect my sobble."

She thought for a moment and watched as Gilly fell back on the defensive against the quick attacks of the wild vulpix. As the rain pelted down on them, she noticed the weather weakened the wild fire type, but if that was the case, maybe she could still use it to her advantage. She had used water and Gilly's natural abilities to her advantage against Lauren in battle. Today would be no different. Gloria called in a confident voice to rally her sobble, "Gilly! Steady now. You're wet from the rain, so you can go invisible."

Her loyal pokémon followed her orders and used the rain to suddenly vanish from sight like a chameleon. Now that it was out of sight, the vulpix let up her attack and paused, looking about in confusion over what just happened. Gloria grinned as she saw the opening she needed, "All right Gilly! Attack now!"

The vulpix was blindsided as the sobble whacked her with his tail and sent her tumbling sideways. No sooner did the small fiery fox regain her footing, she was blasted head on by a jet of water from Gilly's Water Gun attack. The vulpix flew end over end before toppling over on the trail in a stunned heap. Gloria hurled one of her free pokéballs and watched with anticipation as it drew in its new target. Everyone held their breath as the pokéball wobbled about for several long moments before finally going still.

"Way to go Gloria! Nice catch!" Victor cheered while Sonia added her own thumbs up.

"That was pretty ace right there, girl."

Gloria smiled proudly as she recovered the ball with her new vulpix and then scooped her her sobble to give him a kiss on the head, "Thanks! You were pretty ace out there too Gilly! Thank you."

Leon grinned in approval and gave a nod, "Well... now that we've settled that, what do you say we get out of the rain and hurry up getting to Motostoke?"

"Lee is right!" Hop called impatiently as he began to stride down the path toward the city gates in the distance, "Come on! Last one there is a rotten exeggcute!"

* * *

After traveling for another hour or so on foot, the exhausted trainers finally made it to Motostoke City. While it wasn't the biggest city in the region, it was still very sizeable and prominent in its own right, having been an important industrial hub in Galar's history. Even in spite of the light rain shower, many of the locals bustled about running errands or going about their daily work while crowds of visitors from all over Galar flocked for the League's Opening Ceremonies. Spectators and hopeful trainers alike congregated toward the large stadium which was located near the heart of the city. Many brought their own pokémon and from a distance, it looked like a mass pilgrimage with so many different faces and types of visitors.

"Will you look at that?" Victor remarked as people milled about congesting the wide paved boulevard they were standing on.

"I know... I haven't been to such a big city, or seen so much machinery," Gloria chimed in with awe as she stared at some warehouses and factories located on the city bluffs.

"I meant, how are we going to get in there to make registration in time?" Victor said sourly, "We aren't going to make it through that crowd."

Leon smiled and winked as he strode forward, "Normally not, but you're here with the Galar League Champion. I'm sure we can find a way."

Sure enough, once Leon was recognized, some of the Pokémon League's employees came over and got the crowds to make way for the champion and his friends. Amid the cheers and calls of encouragement from fans, Gloria shielded her eyes from some people taking photos, "Oh wow... this is surreal. I feel like a celebrity already."

"I'm sure having personal escorts from the League will be nice," Hop agreed, "Especially when I become the next champion."

Victor smiled and shook his head quietly as they continued on and reached the front lobby of the main stadium located in an old medieval fortification. To their surprise, it was much larger and spacious than it appeared from the outside and the trainers were welcomed by a clean comfortable place to rest and warm up. Some of the other newly registered challengers and employees gave passing glances and curious murmurs toward the newcomers who looked messy, soaked, and haggard from their impromptu camping trip. Leon gestured toward the front desk, "Why don't you all go sign up while you can. I've got to go report in to Chairman Rose and take care of some personal things. I'll meet with you again later?"

Sonia nodded and gave a wave to the group as she moved to leave, "All right. Why don't you all give me your pokémon and I'll run them over to the Pokémon Center for you. I'm sure they're all pooped out from the recent battles and traveling."

After handing their pokéballs off to Sonia, Victor, Gloria, and Hop made their way to the front desk where a uniformed League employee was registering new trainers. As they came to the desk, Gloria noticed something odd about the man behind the counter and whispered to Victor, "Hey... why is that guy wearing sunglasses indoors? He looks like a complete tool."

The man didn't seem to notice and greeted the three with a curious tilt of the head, "Good afternoon. If you're here to register for the Gym Challenge, I'm going to have to see your licensees and endorsements, please."

The three trainers handed over their paperwork and watched quietly as the man behind the counter went about his work verifying their documents. After a long pause, the man looked up to Victor and raised his sunglasses up in surprise, "Well... fancy that. This is the first time we've had a challenger endorsed by the Champion Leon."

"You can make that three, because we were as well," Gloria piped up with a proud smile.

"Really? That's quite a thing," the employee remarked as he worked, "You three must be something pretty special."

Hop adjusted the collar of his jacket confidently, "Of course. I'm Hop, Leon's little brother, in fact. And I'm going to be the next champ."

The man at the desk raised an eyebrow at the boy before finishing his work and handing their papers back, "All right. That just about does it. All I'm going to need is for you three to pick a number for your uniforms which you will be required to wear at all League sanctioned matches."

"Number one," Hop blurted out immediately, "For obvious reasons, of course."

Gloria and Victor exchanged a bemused glance before she spoke up, "How about my lucky number? 22?"

The man turned to Victor, "And how about you kid? What'll it be?"

Victor took a moment to think before giving a shrug, "Oh, I don't know. You can just give me a random number, or whichever one is next."

"Right then. 420 is is," the man replied handing them a few extra items, "These are your Challenger bands which you will need to wear to mark you as competitors for the Gym Challenge. And here are your hotel key cards. All registered trainers will be booked to stay overnight at the nearby Budew Drop Inn. Opening Ceremonies start bright and early at ten in the morning. Good luck everyone."

After leaving the checkout desk, the three friends looked at their keycards with excitement and renewed eagerness. Despite being tired, wet, and hungry, the fact that they were one step closer to competing in the league for real gave them a shot of renewed energy. Hop picked up and headed for the door, "This is sweet! Free lodging for the night? I can't wait to check out the fancy digs!"

Gloria shrugged and chuckled, "At this point, I'll be happy just to get a hot meal and be able to blow dry my wet hair. Shall we?"

After leaving the stadium lobby and walking down the block, the three friends found the Budew Drop Inn just around the corner. It was a large hotel catering mostly to tourists and travelers and while it wasn't an extravagant high class hotel, it was clean, modern, and comfortable enough. As they walked through the front door, the three were greeted by the sight of a busy lobby with many people milling about. Near the front door located between the stairs leading to the front desk, they saw Sonia was already waiting for them. At the moment, the older girl's back was turned and she was studying a large finely sculpted statue that served as the centerpiece decoration for the hotel. It was of an ancient warrior from Galar's medieval days, posing in triumph. He wore armor and looked to be armed with a magnificent sword and shield.

"Sonia? What are you doing here?" Victor asked curiously.

She turned in surprise and offered a cheerful smile, "Oh, hiya! I was on my way back from the Pokémon Center and decided to check this old statue out. What about the rest of you?"

"We registered already and were given rooms to stay here," Hop explained, "I reckon Victor and I could room together while you and Gloria share yours."

Sonia shrugged and handed their pokéballs back, "That works for me. That'll give me a chance to study this statue more. Did you know that this is supposed to be the legendary Hero of Galar? It was said he ended the Darkest Day with a magical sword and shield... though no one has ever found them. Some even think the sword and shield might be figurative and not literal... but I guess I can look more into that one too. By the way... shouldn't you all be checking in?"

Her question was answered as they heard a loud commotion come from the front desk. It sounded like several people arguing and making a ruckus. Victor and his friends walked up the lobby stairs and were greeted by the sight of several rough looking characters blocking the front desk. They looked to be dressed in clothes adorned with leather and spikes, and their punk appearance was just as bizarre. Their mohawk haircuts were unorthodox and many had colored hair and painted faces.

"Hey, what's the deal here? Who are those hooligans?" Victor asked another new male trainer standing nearby. The trainer gave a sigh of dismay.

"Who are those hooligans? They're part of Team Yell from the town of Spikemuth. That's who. Those clowns are holding up the lobby and getting in everyone's way."

Victor walked toward the desk where the hotel clerks were cowering and he approached the punks blocking the way, "Hi there. Pardon me, I'm just trying to get through and..."

One of the larger hooligans barred his path and crossed his arms with a menacing look, "Hold it right there mate. No one is getting through here."

Hop and Gloria stepped forward to back Victor up. Hop scowled, "Listen, we don't know who you Team Yell guys are or why you're here but we've got to check in and so do these other trainers."

One of the female punks from Team Yell snorted, "We came all the way to the big city to properly cheer on our number one Gym Challenger and no one is gonna stop us."

"Yeah, that's great. You can do that after you step aside and let us through," Gloria said with an equal frown, "We've had a long day too."

The punks from Team Yell formed a semi-circle like a pack of wolves around their prey. The largest male pounded his fist, "If you know what's good for you, you'll turn around and walk away, lassie."

Gloria bristled but Victor stepped in to defend his friend. He put a calming hand on her shoulder and faced the hooligan with a level retort, "Yeah... you know, you probably shouldn't be making threats. It's kind of hard to take a bunch of weirdos with pink spiky hair seriously."

The large punk growled and glowered at Victor, "Oh, you're asking for it now, mate. If you and your friends want to get by so badly, you're going to have to battle your way through."

One of the female punks stepped up and gestured to Gloria and Victor, "What about you two? Are you ready to make some noise in a two-on-two battle?"

"Hey! Take it outside!" Sonia snapped sharply catching everyone's attention and causing them to turn around. Sonia stood with a reproving look and regarded Team Yell sternly, "What is wrong with you hooligans? Don't you have any respect? Unless you want to pay for damages to the hotel, you should probably have your pokémon duke it out on the sidewalk."

The two remaining Team Yell grunts guarded the desk while everyone else filtered outside to witness the battle between the Postwick trainers and the punks. As they squared off, Gloria gave an uneasy look to her neighbor, "Uh Victor? I've never been in a street fight before."

"Neither have I," he quipped darkly, "I guess there's a first time for everything, huh?"

The punks acted first and tossed out a pair of pokéballs bringing forth a zigzagoon and a nickit. The Postwick trainers answered and tossed their own pokéballs, calling on their rookidee and vulpix. Team Yell's pokémon didn't waste any time and aggressively pounced, trying to land the first strike but their opponents quickly evaded the onslaught. Victor's rookidee took to the air and floated over the head of the nickit while Gloria's vulpix used its natural agility to dodge the more plodding swipes of the enemy zigzagoon.

From the sidelines, Hop called out encouragement to his friends, "Come on you two! You can do it! Fight back and take it to them!"

Victor clenched his fists as he watched the battle play out and thought quickly of a new strategy. He called to Gloria beside him, "Hop is right. We can't stay on the defensive."

"Then what are we supposed to do?" Gloria replied tensely, "We've got two separate battles going on at the same time."

Victor watched the pokémon skirmish with each other and glanced to her, "Then we'll do something Team Yell isn't doing. We'll work together and combine attacks. First we'll need your pokémon's speed."

Gloria nodded, "Right. Vulpix, use your Quick Attack and keep the enemy off balance."

The fiery fox followed her orders and momentarily blurred out of sight before lunging at the zigzagoon. Before she could hit, the vulpix did the same thing again and evaded her foe to outmaneuver it. While the confused enemy pokémon looked for its foe, Victor called to the little black bird, " Rookidee, go after that zigzagoon and hit him from above!"

The rookidee changed targets and swooped in on the surprised zigzagoon, pummeling it with a flurry of furious peck attacks. Team Yell's other nickit rushed in to help and pounce on the bird, but the rookidee flew up once more and got out of reach before Gloria's vulpix swept in and blindsided the enemy fox pokémon with a tackle. The nickit and zigzagoon collided with each other in their confusion and tried to untangle their limbs offering the Postwick trainers their chance to strike. Gloria grinned and checked her pokédex before pointing ahead confidently, "All right! We've got them now! Vulpix, round them up with a Fire Spin!"

Her vulpix took a deep breath and let loose a swirling ring of fire which scorched Team Yell's pokémon and forced them to huddle up as they were trapped in a narrow ring of spinning flames. Now that they were together, they were easy targets for Victor as he called on his bird, "Rookidee, let's finish them off with your Power Trip!"

The rookidee swooped in and tucked its wings for a powerful dive bomb attack just as the ring of fire dissipated. Team Yell could only watch with dumbfounded expressions as the rookidee plowed into their pokémon and bowled them both over with a powerful swooping body blow. The crowd let out a loud cheer of approval as the enemy pokémon both keeled over on the pavement and lay stunned.

Victor and Gloria slapped each other five and cheered while celebrating their win. In the heat of the moment, Gloria threw her arms around her friend and gave him a big hug, "We did it! Victor, that was a brilliant idea!"

"Err... thanks," he said sheepishly, "We made a great team out there, huh?"

Gloria stopped and pulled back a little, realizing what she had done, "Ah... right. Umm, Sorry about that. I must have gotten a little carried away just now."

Victor smiled and returned the gesture with a quick reassuring hug of his own, "Well... might as well make it a little less awkward, right?"

Their little moment was broken up as Hop came in to congratulate them while another person approached the front of the hotel. She was a girl about their age wearing a pink dress under a studded leather jacket. Her hair was dark and she gave off a similar punk look like those of Team Yell. She wore a stoic look on her face and gave a pointed glare to the defeated male and female hooligans as she approached, "Hey! What are you lot doing here?"

Victor and Gloria stepped aside in surprise letting the new girl through to deal with the Team Yell grunts. Hop blinked a few times in awe before quietly muttering to his friends, "Whoah... who is she?"

The large male from Team Yell immediately changed his demeanor and withered like cowed puppy was getting reprimanded, "We weren't doing anything. We were just..."

The punk girl with a pink dress raised a hand and silenced him, "I know you're all curious bout the other gym challengers, but you've got to show a bit of restraint!"

She turned to look at Victor and Gloria with a slightly apologetic look, "Sorry bout them. They're just a bunch of my die-hard fans calling themselves Team Yell. They're always following me around and cheering for me wherever I go. I think they sometimes get a little too excited if you know what I mean."

"Uh... right. No worries," Victor answered politely while still confused by the power this girl seemed to have over the punks.

The girl pointed down the street and gave an order to her deflated followers, "Come on you lot! Back home with you now!"

As the remaining Team Yell members cleared out of the hotel and stalked off in defeat, the crowd dispersed and left the Postwick trainers to speak with this newcomer. She gave a sigh and waved it off, "Team Yell gets so caught up wanting to support me that they sometimes get a bit shirty with other trainers, so I'm sorry if they caused you any trouble."

"That's okay. No harm done," Gloria said, "We're just glad you were able to help calm everything down, so thanks for that too. I'm Gloria McLeod and these are my friends Victor and Hop from Postwick. Nice to meet you."

She offered a friendly hand and the punk girl looked at it in confusion for a moment before tentatively shaking it, "I'm Marnie Taylor... from Spikemuth."

When it came time for Hop to shake her hand, he wore a slightly dreamy look, "So Marnie... it sounds like you're a Gym Challenger too?"

"Well... yes. It looks that way," she shrugged nonchalantly.

"That's awesome!" Hop exclaimed, "And if you don't mind me saying, I think it's pretty cool you have your own set of fans to cheer you on. You must be something pretty special, huh?"

Marnie blinked in surprise before a small ghost of a smile slowly crossed her lips while she nodded, "I guess so... um, thanks."

"Don't mind Hop too much. Sometimes he can be a little over-excitable too," Victor said diplomatically.

Marnie shook her head gently, "No, it's quite all right. Now that everything's quieted down, maybe you lot should get yourselves checked in to your hotel and rest. You look like you've been through a lot already."

"Sure. But how would you like to join us for a meal later tonight, or breakfast tomorrow?" Gloria offered, "It would be our way of saying thanks. Plus, it would be nice to make some new friends while we're here."

Marnie adopted her neutral expression again and began to head off down the street, "I appreciate the offer Gloria... but maybe another time?"

"Uh... sure," Gloria said in confusion as she watched Marnie walk off by herself, "See you 'round, I guess?"

Victor crossed his arms looking equally perplexed, "Hmm... what an odd girl, huh?"

"Yeah..." Hop answered with a smitten sigh.

Victor chuckled and clapped his friend on the shoulder, "Well, come on then. We should probably get going and get some rest. We have a big day tomorrow. We'll be on the road to our first big debut in the Pokemon League... a road to new adventure, and a road to glory for us all."


	9. Great Expectations

**A/N: Whoah... so I was honestly kind of surprised by the reaction and the number of readers who wanted me to keep going with this fic. That said, let this new chapter calm any fears to let everyone know that I've heard you and that I will commit to seeing this fic through to the end. In addition, I'll plan to make some changes and revisions to the main storyline in hopes it will improve upon the disjointed plot that we got in the game. Just understand that this story may have an irregular update schedule as I've got some other projects I'd like to finish first. Thanks again for all the support and understanding. Enjoy.**

* * *

The next morning, Victor was awakened as he felt some sort of stick being tapped on his forehead. He groggily opened his eyes and found Hop's grookey Scamp standing on his chest trying to wake him up while continuing to hit him with its stick. He heard Hop chuckle from nearby as his pokémon gave a mischievous laugh and hopped clear allowing Victor to wake up. "Okay Scamp. That's enough. I think he's up."

Victor rubbed his eyes and took a moment to remember he was now in a room of the local hotel, "Hop? What's going on?"

"Making sure you're up on time for the Opening Ceremony," his neighbor from across the street answered, "I know we should be tired after our traveling, but I honestly couldn't sleep a wink last night."

Victor checked his phone in mild annoyance, "Hop, it's seven in the morning! We have three hours to go and the stadium is just down the block. Why did you wake me up this early?"

Hop snapped his fingers and went over to the room's desk where a wrapped parcel was waiting. "I picked these up from the front desk earlier. They just came in overnight. Check it out. These are our new League uniforms."

He tossed Victor the parcel and watched as Victor opened it curiously. Upon seeing his new garments, Victor's tiredness and annoyance melted away when he saw the sporty jersey and shorts emblazoned with their numbers and league insignias. In many ways, it resembled the uniforms soccer players would wear, but the fact that they were personalized and sanctioned by the league itself made these all the more special and attractive. "Wow, Hop! These are..."

"Awesome? I know," Hop grinned as he picked his grookey up and carried him toward a mirror, "I can't wait to try it on and walk into the stadium with it. I'll bet our mums would flip if they saw us on the telly, don't you think?"

"I can't argue with that," Victor admitted, suddenly realizing that the chance for getting any more sleep today was going to be next to impossible.

About an hour and a half later, the two boys dressed and headed downstairs to get a quick breakfast before going to the stadium. They saw that most of the other guests of the hotel had already dressed in their own challenger jerseys and the cafeteria area was now seemingly flooded with trainers. As they looked around the crowd, they were surprised to hear a familiar female voice from behind. "Oi. Top of the mornin' boys. Don't you both look like dapper chaps?"

They turned around to greet Gloria and Sonia who had come downstairs for some breakfast as well. Like the boys, Gloria was dressed in her own uniform and she greeted them with a bright cheerful smile as she gestured to herself, "So... what do you think?"

"Of what?" Hop asked with a clueless tone.

Having known his childhood friend a little better, Victor elbowed Hop gently and looked over to Gloria to answer her, "You look brilliant. It suits you."

She smiled again and examined herself, "You think so, huh? I'm not really much for the sporty style... but it does look nice."

"Trust me, you wear it better than I did when I was doing the Gym Challenge years ago," Sonia chuckled kindly before looking over to the breakfast line, "Though I kind of doubt we're going to get any food either right now."

"That's okay. I'm actually not feeling that hungry anyway," Victor said surprising himself, "Now that it's setting in, I guess I'm kinda getting that feeling of butterfrees in my stomach."

Hop clapped him on the shoulder, "Right then. Maybe we should head over to the stadium and get there early before the others? Hopefully we don't run into any more of those Team Yell goons along the way."

Sonia gave a wave as she headed out to the lobby, "All right then kids. I'll see you later. I'm going to get some coffee and bagels from a nearby cafe. I'll be back in the stands to cheer for you later, okay?"

As they said goodbye to her, the three friends headed out the door as well to go to the stadium. Victor scratched his chin, "Hey... you don't think we'll be able to see Leon beforehand do you?"

Hop shrugged, "I doubt it. Lee is usually pretty busy with all that League stuff, and probably even more responsibilities since he's still the reigning champion. But I guess there's only one way to find out, right?"

* * *

A little while later, the three friends returned to the Motostoke Stadium lobby to get comfortable as they waited for the main event to take place later. As they sat together on a couch, Victor pulled out his smartphone and began look ahead as well as pull up a map of the region around Motostoke. Gloria peeked over curiously and asked, "You looking for more good places to catch pokémon around here?"

Victor shook his head, "Nope. I'm actually trying to figure out the best way to get to our next stop after the events here. The first gym we'd need to head to will be in Turffield, but it looks like we might need to travel across some rough ground to get there."

Before Gloria could ask any more questions, their attention was drawn away as Hop jumped up to his feet and called out in surprise, "Lee? You're here?"

To their surprise, Leon came striding forward across the lobby to greet the three accompanied by none other than Chairman Rose himself. Leon beamed proudly as he looked upon the young uniformed trainers, "You finally made it, Hop! Victor. Gloria. You too!"

The three young trainers froze in place with looks of fear and amazement plastered on their faces as they were approached by the chairman of the league itself. Leon grinned and gave an introduction to the man in the expensive gray, "Everyone? I'd like you to meet Chairman Rose. Chairman? This is my younger brother Hop, along with our friends Victor Bennett and Gloria MacLeod from Postwick."

Rose smoothed his hair and offered a kind smile as he extended a polite hand to each of them, "So, you are the three trainers that our champion had endorsed himself. It's a pleasure to meet you all. Welcome."

"The pleasure's all ours Chairman," Victor said nervously as he shook Rose's hand. As he did, Rose stopped and kept his grip in Victor's hand. He turned his wrist slightly and took note of the wristband on Victor's arm, as well as the others.

"Oh? What's this? I see you have a Dynamax Band... all three of you. How very interesting. It would seem you three have been led here with the guiding light of the wishing stars. Very fortunate indeed."

The three young trainers exchanged a curious look with each other before Rose laughed, "Oh, what am I saying? You must think I'm some superstitious old man. I just couldn't help but notice because my business ventures have done some funding into research on the stones. If you're from Postwick, perhaps you know Professor Magnolia?"

"Yes sir," Victor said, "She's the one who created these for us."

"She also said she was grateful for the generous grant you gave her to fund the research as well," Gloria added.

Rose smiled, "Yes, well... I hope you three will be able to make it far into the tournament this year. With the power already at your disposal, I daresay the Gym Challenge will be a great joy for me to watch. More importantly, it's my hope the people of Galar will be given a good show because they just love to see Dynamax battles."

He stopped as his phone vibrated from his suit pocket and he touched his side, "Ah... I'm terribly sorry, but it seems I may have some important business to attend to. It was a pleasure meeting you and I wish you all luck!"

As Rose departed down a side hallway and answered his phone, Hop stretched his arms, "Well... he seemed really nice."

Victor remained quiet and touched his Dynamax Band, not as convinced judging by the Chairman's strange observation just now. While Rose seemed nice enough, there was still something a little... off-putting about the man and it was hard to put a finger on it.

"Yes. The Chairman certainly seems to be in high spirits," Leon agreed as he turned to the three, "Now listen up everyone, I just wanted to give you some last minute advice before the tournament starts. I probably won't have a lot of time after that for a while so pay attention. You've all just started on your path to becoming skilled trainers. If you want to win, you'll need to do more than just train your pokémon. You'll need to train yourselves so that you can be the best you can be in mind, body, and heart. Remember that."

"We will, Lee. And thanks again," Hop said giving his brother a hug.

Leon patted Hop's head and let go so that he could depart, "All right everyone. This is it. The ceremonies will start in a little while so I've got to get going. I'll see you on the pitch and I'll be wishing you luck!"

By now, other trainers were beginning to arrive and be ushered toward the stadium entrance from the interior. Gloria pulled the arms of her two friends and dragged them along, "All right... that's our cue. Looks like it's our turn for our fifteen minutes of fame."

* * *

Amid the bright lights and roar of the cheering crowd that had gathered in the stadium, Chairman Rose made his way out onto the main pitch flanked by his loyal aide Oleana and the Champion of Galar, Leon. The cheers grew louder and Rose gave a warm smile while he waved back to everyone he could see. Once they made their way to the center of the pitch, Chairman Rose cleared his throat and spoke with bright enthusiasm, "Ladies and gentlemen! I am Rose, Chairman of the Galar Pokémon League and joining me is my trusted aide Oleana and your reigning Champion, Leon Powers!"

The stadium cheered loudly again and Rose waited for the noise to die down a little, "I know that everyone gathered here and those watching at home have been waiting for this big moment. It is my pleasure that the Galar region's Gym Challenge and Tournament will now begin! The challengers who are participating this year must defeat eight of the Gym Leaders and gather badges to prove their skill as a trainer. Only the most worthy will be able to compete in the Grand Tournament held in Wyndon and get their chance to battle the Champion himself. Now, I would like to invite the Gym Leaders to step forward and show themselves."

From another entry ramp, a group of mostly young men and women entered to the loud ovations of the fans present as well as some pyrotechnics. Each of them had their own specialty and style, as they commanded the attention of the crowd and the respect of younger trainers all over the region.

"Yes, these are the Gym Leaders that we in the Galar Region are proud to call our own," Chairman Rose smiled as he raised his arms, "And now for the many others from Galar who you are prouder to call _your_ own!"

At that, the large group of prospective challengers emerged from the entryway tunnel and filtered out into the main pitch to be recognized. As they walked proudly, Victor, Gloria, and Hop all strode forward feeling as if time had slowed down around them. The roar of the stadium crowd filled their ears and the lights of flashing cameras blinded them. Even the size and scope of the stadium surprised them and seemed to stretch on forever as their senses were overwhelmed by the sights and sounds. Despite the feelings of fear, anxiety, and anticipation from hundreds of thousands watching them, the feeling was electric and they had never felt more alive. Now it was more than clear why every Gym Leader and League Champion in history loved the spotlight. Victor gave a quiet look to Gloria and Hop and nodded, leading them forward as they lined up with the other challengers, "This is it guys. We made it."

Chairman Rose smiled for the cameras as he addressed the trainers, "Challengers, you are the true strength of Galar and its hope for the future. I expect great things from all of you, just as the Gym Leaders do. Most of all, I want you all to expect great things of yourselves as it will be you who will be the shining beacons of light that we may look to in order to tackle the challenges and uncertainties that surely lie ahead. Remain strong, remain safe, and most of all, good luck Trainers. Galar is looking to you."

* * *

At the close of the ceremonies, the trainers departed from the pitch and headed back to the locker rooms to change back into their normal street clothes. After returning to the main lobby, several challengers began to filter out hoping to get a head start on the competition while others were greeted by friends, family, and other spectators who wanted photos or autographs. Upon pushing their way through the crowds and regrouping near the doors of the lobby, Victor, Gloria, and Hop prepared to set off. They had all let their starter pokémon out of their pokéballs so that they could get some air and take in the tournament energy. Victor's scorbunny Hotspur bounced impatiently on his heels beside his owner while Gilly peeked out from under Gloria's cap. Upon Hop's shoulder, Scamp clung on and rested on his backpack looking about curiously.

As Victor checked the map once more with Gloria nearby, Hop idly looked about and caught sight of the girl Marnie that they had met the other day. She looked to be alone at the moment and looked about, as if trying to avoid being spotted by any of her crazed fans from Team Yell. As she headed for the door, she spotted Hop and put a finger to her lips urging him to be quiet and let her slip by. Hop was about call out and try to chase her down when his group was interrupted by another familiar visitor.

"Hiya! Hello there!" came a saccharine girl's voice.

Victor looked up from his map with a surprised look while Gloria suppressed a grimace of displeasure and felt her stomach sink. The group was greeted by one of their fellow neighbors from back home, Lauren Alcott. She gave a sweet smile and flipped some of her hair as she addressed them, "Victor. Gloria. Hop. There you are. I'm glad I got chance to see you again and catch you before you departed."

"Hi Lauren. You made it to Motostoke for the ceremony, huh?" Gloria asked.

"Of course," Lauren replied, "I was on the next train out and there was a huge delay, but I'm glad my family and I made it just in time. I saw you three out there on the pitch you all looked great in your uniforms. What did I say about changing it up, right Gloria?"

Hop ignored Lauren for a moment as she fussed over Gloria's cap and tried to pet the skittish sobble hiding underneath. Instead, Hop glanced over in dismay and saw that Marnie was already long gone. With a sigh, he turned back to the present situation as Lauren continued, "We'll be touring around the region on a holiday so it's possible we might run into you some more along the way. If it's up to me, I hope we do because I'd be happy to cheer you on."

She turned toward Victor and straightened the collar of his white jacket, "What do you say, Victor? You remember that you said you'd do your best for me, didn't you?"

"Yeah... I did say that, didn't I?" Victor answered sheepishly.

"Great! Then before you head out on your way, here's for luck," Lauren said as she reached up and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. As Victor was left red-faced and stammering, Gloria scowled nearby and reached her a pokéball to issue another challenge but the moment was broken up as Hotspur jumped up into Victor's arms. Lauren raised an eyebrow in surprise from the excitable scorbunny and gingerly patted its head, "Yes... well, good luck to you too little Scorbunny."

As Lauren departed, Gloria crossed her arms and muttered sourly, "You want me to have Gilly to hose you down with a Water Gun, Victor? You're still looking a little red there."

"Ah... no. I think I'm good," he replied quickly as he regained his composure and reined in Hotspur from squirming any more, "Let's go, yeah?"

Soon enough, the three found themselves outside the stadium and orienting themselves toward their next destination. Hop cracked his knuckles, "All right... so Turffield is our next stop, right?"

Victor nodded, "Right. It's at least a few days journey from here but we've got a long way to go and even more training to do along the way."

"You make that sound like a problem," Hop answered breezily as he began walking down the road, "Remember, you're traveling with the next future Champion of Galar here."

"He's right Victor," Gloria smiled as she tugged his arm forward to join Hop, "The weather is bonnie today and the company's not too bad either."

Victor couldn't help but smile as he followed Hop and Gloria while Hotspur perched on his shoulder pointing the way forward, "All right then. The future is calling, so what are we waiting for?"


End file.
